Fortunas Exitus
by Dark Hikari Twilight
Summary: Genesis decides that he would rather stay with Sephiroth then die in Wutai, confessing to him his illness, and changing the course of their fates for better or worse. SephXGen Yaoi
1. Confessions

This story is a joint project between Dark Hikari Twilight and Darksargonas. It will be rather long, and will focus on Genesis, Sephiroth and their relationship especially in the first part. We intend to update this every two weeks. Feed back is always welcomed and encouraged.

This story has now been beta'd by fenhuang up through chapter 8.

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The air around Midgar was changing from the cold grip of winter to the elusive warmth of spring. Something that anywhere else would signal rebirth was lost on the dead city. ShinRa didn't pause even for a moment in its motions, moving from one season to the next, never changing. The war was raging on in Wutai with no clear end in sight.

It had been going on for nearly 15 years. Most of those Sephiroth has spent in their service as a SOLDIER. He knew nothing more than the life of war and lab. That was until 10 years ago when a pair of boys arrived from Banora. One in particular of the pair managed to upend the General's world view. Made him hope for something more out of life. 5 years now, he and Genesis had been together. And while it had been rough at first, neither one knowing what a loving relationship was, they managed with the help of their friend Angeal.

They weren't perfect, but they were in love. Sometimes love isn't enough, but for others? It can be the only thing you need.

* * *

Genesis sat completely still on the couch inside the apartment he and Sephiroth shared. His hands were clasped together and resting against his chin, eyes closed and his head tilted forward so that his red hair covered part of his face. The man was lost deep within his own mind.

The subject of his thoughts? How to tell Sephiroth, the man he loved, that he was dying and there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do about it.

Genesis had been through many stages, he had spoken to Hollander at length and this was the end. The SOLDIER had briefly thought of running. Of searching the world for a cure. But the possibility of finding one was slim and he wanted to spend what time he had with Sephiroth.

Now he just had to tell the man and time was running out to figure out the words he would use. The normally eloquent poet was at a loss.

Sephiroth wouldn't be expecting him home. Officially, he had been assigned to Wutai. It was his dream assignment. A chance to win the war and be the hero he'd always wanted to be. But now it just seemed like a bitter nightmare, a dead man going off to war. He could have gone out in a blaze of glory. Made a proper name for himself without worry about his own welfare. But all of that seemed so hollow in the face of leaving his lover. No, if Genesis was going die, he wanted to do it laying next to Sephiroth, not bleeding out on a battlefield.

So he had passed the mission off, asked Angeal to take it for him. His old friend had looked at him curiously. Genesis had just put on a cool mask and explained that he had a surprise for Sephiroth and it was so hard to get one up on him that it was worth waiting to head to Wutai. Angeal was scheduled for his own deployment in a couple of months and Genesis would come then.

A simple but believable lie. In two months Genesis wouldn't be fit for a simple training exercise, let alone the front lines of a war.

His mind sat blank for a bit longer and Genesis didn't know if it was because he truly couldn't think of anything to say or if the degradation had begun to affect his mind, Hollander had explained that it eventually would. The process sounded painful, horrible, miserable and slow. It would be an agonizing death. And Genesis just wanted to cry out in frustration. He could already feel his body dying. The wounds that wouldn't heal.

But as he heard the creak of the door opening, he knew his time was up. Sephiroth was home and he had to tell him something.

The very man in question had resigned himself privately to the situation that had slowly built up to this point. He had watched as the war with Wutai drew on and with it, dragged everyone else through the mud and dirt and the blood and the bodies as they piled higher. He was a good soldier, a prime example of obedience without question. A hero, if only in name, at ShinRa's insistence.

He had watched Genesis change over time and felt the other man start pulling away weeks ago. He wondered if it might have something to do with Lazard mentioning a mission to Wutai soon. But the way Genesis reacted hadn't made much sense to him. He was certain that the other man would have jumped at the opportunity to finally prove himself as much of a hero as the Silver General was seen as. And yet Genesis had only mutely given his consent at the time, seeming very subdued.

The General had tried to question him when they found time alone. After all, it was just another mission and he couldn't think of a single reason why Genesis would feel so forlorn, much less beginning to understand the reasoning behind such a thought. But his lover was always so wonderfully equipped to turn the direction of any conversation away when the subject was touching something he didn't like. And Sephiroth wasn't fond of in-fighting, especially knowing that he had trouble backing down once any perceived challenge had been made. It would have been counterproductive, since they were beginning to reach the better parts of a relationship that both of them wanted.

But for all he knew, as he moved to twist the key in the lock before he opened the door, his redheaded lover had long since left for Wutai by now. And he would have to deal with the sense of loss and emptiness that followed, because he knew something was wrong, but Genesis hadn't seemed to care enough to let him in completely. Despite the affection they now shared.

_Love, get it right, Sephiroth._

As new of a concept as love still was for Sephiroth, and even as he struggled with it, he could still admit that this was truly what it was he felt for Genesis.

But he was a private man and he could hide his feelings well. Too well for some people, however, the mask he wore was there to protect others as much as himself in his line of work. And that mask had only ever been dropped for one man, the beautiful ginger that sat on the couch now. The door had shut behind him, but Sephiroth found his keys slipping out of his hand to the floor. A look of abject confusion crossed his stoic features.

"Gen...?" He called out, brow furrowing for a moment before his heavy boot falls echoed through their living room. "Genesis, what are you doing home?"

This was... unexpected. More so than he could have ever considered before. He was genuinely surprised by this man's actions and that simply did not happen.

Genesis, for his part, shifted to look up at Sephiroth, pain and sorrow clear on his face. His throat froze and the rest of his body refused to move for a moment. Then, all at once, he was on his feet, burying himself in the General's chest. Even now Genesis couldn't cry.

All the time that he had spent going over how to tell his lover and nothing would come to mind. Somehow his mouth managed moved without thought.

"I'm dying." It came out hoarse, like he'd been crying for hours. And hearing those words from his own lips caused him to start shaking.

Sephiroth could only stand there and stare in shock. Genesis had... flung himself at him. He was... burying his face into his chest, blurting out the worst possible thing that the Silver General could have ever heard and he simply couldn't wrap his mind around it. At least not at the moment. Never in his life would he have imagined seeing Genesis like this. And because it was happening in real time, he couldn't simply brush it all aside as a bad dream.

His hands came down to grip Gen's arms firmly, before he pulled away just enough to look down into his eyes, a bit flabbergasted by this uncharacteristic show of weakness.

"I'm terrified and I've never been terrified in my life." Genesis admitted. "Hollander can't do anything. He's tried everything he can think of."

Once he'd started, he couldn't stop it seemed. "I can't heal properly even with materia and I can feel my body dying. Like I'm rotting from the inside out."And with that the tears finally came. "I'm sorry, I would have said something earlier, but I couldn't even bring myself to believe it, let alone say it out loud."

"I... don't..." Sephiroth started, sounding a bit hoarse himself, though he closed his eyes momentarily and took a deep breath before reopening them to continue speaking, "How long has this been going on for?"

There was no time to deal with his own mind attempting to break down from the weight of shock. Even with all of his unspoken flaws, Sephiroth knew that Genesis needed his support and he was not about to fail him. He would have time to absorb the gravity of this news later, but he knew that allowing himself to break down beside Genesis would not help either of them.

So instead, he guided Genesis back to the couch and forced him to sit, then moved away to the kitchen where he appeared to be getting ready to make a pot of tea. Likely something to help calm his lover's nerves. Or his own. Or both of them. Either way, he had to do something with his hands to keep from wrecking the apartment, despite his best attempts at keeping his resolve in check.

"And why have you held onto it by yourself until now? Surely you must know I have the right to know these things, since we are lovers, yes? Genesis, you-" He cut himself off and set his jaw tensely as the sound of the water running out of the kitchen faucet filled the air between them.

"Hollander is a smart man, but he is by no means the be all and end all of answers... I will find a way to save you. I wish you had spoken of it sooner..." Sephiroth trailed off.

Genesis just sank back into the couch at the other man's words as much as at his behest. A numbness washed over him, all from finally saying the truth out loud, as much to himself as Sephiroth.

"I didn't say anything because I kept thinking that, if I didn't accept it, didn't admit it, that it wasn't true." Genesis confessed, tears still running down his cheeks. "And for how long? I'm not sure. Hollander says it's probably been going on for years, slowly anyway."

"I first noticed something was wrong 6 months ago after that training accident. I cured myself afterwards and nothing happened. That's when I went to Hollander and the tests began." Genesis kind of slipped away into his thoughts as he spoke. Trying to act like it was someone else he was talking about, at least in his mind.

"He's done countless blood tests, mako therapy, infusions, different materia combinations, but nothing changes. My body is breaking down and aging at a rapid rate. "Genesis continued to rail on as if the floodgates had opened, then laughed bitterly as he realized what his lover was trying to get at, "Seph, this isn't something you can just go out to slay a monster and find a cure for."

Genesis curled up into himself on the couch. "Hollander doesn't think I have much time left. 6 months at most and that's if something else doesn't trigger the process to progress faster."

Sephiroth appeared several minutes later, holding out a steaming cup of tea for Genesis. The ginger took the offered cup of tea with shaking hands. Looking up at Sephiroth as he thought over what the other man had spoken. The words had been comforting a bit, Sephiroth wanting to save him and he wanted to believe that he could. But all his hope at this point had been drained away.

After the cup of tea had been handed off, he settled down next to the auburn haired man and laid his hands into his lap neatly. He often sat this way when he was getting ready to think entirely too hard on a subject. Or just process information he just heard.

"I hate to say it, Genesis, but how do we know there is not some cure out there that hasn't been thought of?" He turned his head to regard Genesis and frowned, "When all of the obvious answers start to fail you, then you start turning to the most unorthodox ones. You know this."

It was amazing, to see how well he took all of this news, the way he seemed ready to take charge and forge ahead, refusing to even think for a moment that he was losing Genesis. It was either a brilliantly executed defence mechanism, or he was just too stubborn to give up, despite the overwhelming odds against them.

"I only wish I had had more time to approach the matter myself..." Sephiroth sighed a bit as he spoke. "Of all the people who could fail you, why do you choose to dismiss me so easily?"

"I don't want to dismiss you." Genesis answered as he sipped his tea. "I just don't think I can hope again. If I did and it failed, I doubt I could take it. I've resigned myself to this fate. I almost took the assignment in Wutai, knowing I would die, go out in a blaze of glory. But I don't want that. If I'm going to die, I want to do it here. I want to enjoy the time I have left with you."

"I won't deny you your chance to try. I know better and I do take some comfort in it." Genesis continued as he sipped his tea again, hoping that it would calm him.

Revealing what he had, talking about it with Sephiroth had been taxing on him and he was already very tired.

"I'm not sure what resources you have to tap that Hollander doesn't. He said he had spoken to his colleagues at length. None of them could come up with a better answer. Though you are right, I suppose. It doesn't hurt to try unorthodox methods. That seems to be the theme to my life." Genesis admitted and he hated the fact that he was actually starting to hope. Hope that Sephiroth was just stubborn enough to find a way to save him.

"Right now, just let me enjoy you. I'm only going to get worse." Genesis lamented. At the moment, he wanted nothing more to curl up with his lover and absorb his presence.

"You will have me to enjoy as much as I can possibly give. I may even put my foot down and demand more time, if it comes to it." His smile was warm and genuine, something reserved only for Genesis when they were alone.

The redhead sitting next to him had shown him many things since joining SOLDIER. At first he had been as star struck as any other recruit to the program, looking up to Sephiroth with hero worship, but Genesis had proven quickly that he was a cut above the rest. And soon he was demanding his way into Sephiroth's life in a way the General had not expected anyone to try.

They had been comrades and rivals, then they had become lovers. Genesis demanded the best from him and he, being a perfectionist, sought nothing less than to deliver just that for the other man. Just as he knew that he drove Genesis to higher ground and pushed him to keep reaching beyond his next limit. They were good for each other in a way that benefited ShinRa and he was certain that that was the only reason their relationship had been tolerated. But that didn't matter to him. Not in the face of this world-shattering news.

When Sephiroth finally spoke again, there was an edge to his voice as though he were already working out the final details to a plan, "What did Hollander do exactly? Did he even bother trying to retrace the degradations origins or was he too busy looking for a cure to treat the symptoms in order to think of something like that?"

Genesis's shoulders hung and he looked over at Sephiroth. "Hollander said the cause is from the experimental process used when I became a SOLDIER. My body has become unstable and started to break down and attack itself. He explained that they used a variant of the substance normally used in SOLDIERs, it was more powerful, but it also turned out to be more unstable. He's tried everything, including putting me through the normal SOLDIER process, but that only seemed to make things worse."

Genesis knew he needed to have this conversation, but it felt like it was draining the life he did have out. Every word he told Sephiroth drove home how true the situation was. It wouldn't matter when he had this discussion however, the feeling would be the same. Plus getting it over had a certain appeal to it.

"They've already been giving you trouble over me and I'm sure they'll be absolutely livid over the fact that I didn't go to Wutai." Genesis laughed a bit because the other option was to start crying again, he didn't really care about ShinRa at this point.

He wouldn't be around long enough for any ramifications to be meaningful, but Sephiroth would.

"I just don't want you to do something that's going to make your life more difficult after I'm gone. I'll take what I can get and be happy with that." Genesis acknowledged, setting his now empty cup of tea down. So different from his normal demanding tone.

"I am not losing you." The words were uttered through clenched teeth, the first true sign that Sephiroth was, perhaps, not dealing with this as easily as he may have appeared to before.

His glowing green gaze was intense as he stared at Genesis, the fear in those eyes so alien, so wrong. Sephiroth was trying not to get upset, he was going to hold it together for them both, because that was what Genesis needed. But his lover's defeatist attitude and seemingly suicidal tone cut him far more deeply than any physical wound he might have possibly endured.

"You can't ask me to do this. I will not give you up without a fight. ShinRa's executives be damned. I do not abandon my comrades, let alone someone I am claiming to love. And I intend to make sure it is more than just a claim."

Genesis looked up at Sephiroth's words and placed a hand on the side of the other man's face. "I know you love me, I don't doubt it. Not now. You don't have to prove it to me or anyone else." The ginger acknowledged.

Sephiroth paused and gave a sigh, the sound somewhat shaky as he regained his composure slowly. This was difficult and it was only going to get worse. For both of them. He knew what Genesis wanted was to do nothing more than to enjoy the time he had left, on his deathbed, absorbing every ounce of love Sephiroth could give him before passing away, but Sephiroth just would not be able to sit by idly.

"I have an option Hollander would never think to use, because he is a fool." Sephiroth finally stated, "I will abuse it to its fullest extent. But it has to wait a day or so, because I have to wait for the son of a bitch to get back from a trip."

"Seph." Genesis voice was heavy. He knew that Sephiroth wouldn't accept this. It was why he had thought for a moment about not telling him. Why he had been so quiet and distant. But he wanted to give Sephiroth closure, as much as he wanted to spend time with the man. If his lover couldn't accept the fact that he was dying, he wouldn't get that closure.

"I don't want you to abandon me, to forget me. I think if you did, I would find the quickest way to Wutai and just end it now." Genesis's eyes closed. "Like I said, I'm not going to stop you from doing what you want. If the positions were reversed, I know I'd try hard as hell. But I can't let myself hope again."

He moved, unable to stay away from Sephiroth any longer, and hugged the man tightly. "I love you, that's the only thing that matters to me anymore."

Sephiroth slumped forward against Genesis the moment the other man pulled him close. He buried his face against Gen's neck and shuddered, feeling his emotions well up and threaten to burst like an old, ill-repaired dam.

"Gen..." he spoke softly, "Don't do this to me. You can't know what losing you will do to me."

He hugged the other man tightly against himself and pressed kisses against his temple, breathing in the scent of him. Gods, but he could lose himself in that scent forever and the idea that, one day, he would wake up and Genesis would no longer be there, was far too much for him to handle.

"How could you ever think I would forget you?" He whispered hoarsely, emotion thick in his voice, "I can't. You have done so much for me, made me feel like something more than a weapon... Genesis, I will not lose you. I fear if I do… I would not be long to follow you..."

Genesis was crying again, though he wasn't sure how much more he had in him. "I don't want to leave you Seph, I truly don't, but I don't have a choice. I've tried" Genesis was desperate to get Sephiroth to understand. He didn't want to raise the man's hopes either, only to have them completely dashed.

"And I don't want you to, but it might be better if you did forget me." Genesis held on tightly to Sephiroth's coat. "Find someone else to make you feel human. I want you to be happy, Seph. Please don't make me think about losing you to this too. "

He shook as the energy drained from his body. "I love you." He repeated again. "I know you, you can move on and I want to help you do that." Genesis knew he couldn't be saved, but he desperately hoped Sephiroth could.

"Stop it. Just knock it off." Sephiroth growled faintly and tilted Gen's head back to stare into his eyes, "You aren't going anywhere, I swear I will help you get passed this. We have time. Just… give me a few weeks, that's all I ask."

Drawing his arms around Genesis' waist, he tugged him closer for a soft kiss. "Just a few, to do some research. There is still an option we have that Hollander never thought of, because he's too proud to ask for help."

Sephiroth lowered his head to press their foreheads together and sighed softly, "Just a few weeks, and if I can't get it by then… then I will spend all the time we have left together with you..."

"Of course, I told you I wasn't going to stop you from trying." Genesis replied eyes closed tight. "A few weeks I think I can handle. Then I want to go disappear with you for a while. I care about Angeal, but I love you. I want to spend my time with you."

"I haven't told him yet either, you know." Genesis informed Sephiroth. "He really thinks I just wanted to surprise you."

"Do what you need, I don't feel like going anywhere. Really after that I just want to sleep. Next to you, but I can wait." Genesis shifted a bit. "I really am sorry. I never wanted to do this to you."

Genesis had finally gotten pass the emotional wreck stage. It was all out on the table and he'd only have to tell Angeal now, hopefully with Sephiroth's help. His parents could rot for all he cared. They didn't even deserve the letter in the mail ShinRa might send.

"Okay." Sephiroth relented softly, pressing another kiss to Genesis' lips. "And it isn't as if you won't see me at all during these few weeks I take to research. I will come back and I will make sure you get to sleep with me every night."

He lifted a gloved hand to caress Gen's face slowly, "Just tell me whatever you want of me. After these three weeks are up, regardless of what I find, we will do whatever your heart desires."

Sephiroth pulled Genesis back into his arms, tugging him onto his lap and holding him against his chest firmly. His arms fell loosely around his lover's hips and he laid his head against Gen's shoulder, content to absorb the closeness of him.

"I love you." Sephiroth whispered after a moment, then closed his eyes tightly before the tears could even begin to form. He would never allow it get that far.

Genesis had already admitted earlier that he was terrified and, as much as he hated to admit it, he had been given some hope. "I love you too."

Silence stretched between them for some time and, only when he felt Sephiroth's form shudder, did he realize that the other man was crying, if barely. The droplets were running smoothly down his cheeks. It was the first time he'd seen such a thing from his lover and he was silently shocked by the presence of those tears. Gently, he turned his head and he kissed Sephiroth's cheek, removing the evidence of a single tear.

"I'll give you your three weeks. Then I want to go home at least for a while. I couldn't care less about my parents, but I'd like to see Banora again, the orchards especially. I've always wanted to take you there anyway. Share a dumbapple with you." Genesis confessed.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, committing Sephiroth's scent to memory as he ran his hands through the man's hair, something that always seemed to calm him even at times like this.

When Genesis had said he was tired however, he had meant it and, as he remained there, being held by the man he loved, he silently drifted to sleep.


	2. Desperation

Chapter 2 here as promised, both of us would love to thank everyone for the feedback we got on the first chapter, glad you enjoyed it and hope you like this one just as much. Please leave a review.

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Sephiroth had spent the next couple of days sitting around with Genesis at the apartment and watched movies, ordered in or cooked for him. It was a strange change of pace, especially when he was already starting to strain things with Lazard over missions, but he was determined to give his lover everything he needed. When he had heard that Hojo had returned from his trip, he had quickly rehearsed his question in the back of his mind as he made his way towards the elevator.

Hopefully this would work as smoothly as he suspected it might, he knew Hojo well enough to estimate just how the man would react to his prodding and he was well aware that he had to be careful to show just the right amount of interest in order to get him to work with him without prodding in return. It was a dangerous game of chess, one he played every time he was forced to visit the labs and with each visit he knew some part of him was left behind in those cold, soulless rooms.

As the elevator stalled to a stop at the science department's floor, Sephiroth schooled his expression and stepped out into a hall. He was not due for any lab work, a mental note he kept well in mind, and him coming here at all on his free time would be seen as odd, another fact he could not help. He made himself look all business and ignored the few stares he did receive as he walked passed a few doors and found Hojo in his office. Good. The man hadn't left for any labs just yet.

Offering a slight knock on his door at the same time as opening it, Sephiroth made it appear as though he were here on passing, as though even stopping in was an afterthought and slipped into Hojo's office. He kept the full body shudder that threatened to shake him at bay from having to enter the man's private office and tried not to think about how irritating being in the scientist's presence was. It simply would not do to give the game up now, especially when Hojo was an adversary that was more than happy to sink his claws into the man, given the opportunity, or the least sign of anything... off. And there was definitely a lot 'off' about Sephiroth, given his lover's recent news.

"Afternoon, Professor." Sephiroth murmured softly. Hojo preferred it when he was proper and respectful.

Hojo looked up from the papers he was going through and a sick grin crossed his lips. "Now I know you aren't due here anytime soon." As he spoke, he placed the papers down and adjusted his glasses, staring at Sephiroth like the perfect specimen he was.

"So it begs the question, just what do you want, dear boy? Because I know better than to believe you'd make a social call."

His mind was clearly already running through plans, possible tests, anything he could ask of the man. Sephiroth wanted something, that he was sure of, and Hojo intended to make him pay his price for it.

"I suppose we know each other far too well for that." Sephiroth admonished, hoping to play into Hojo's pride further for admitting the old man was right.

It would only serve his purpose that much better, though he dreaded what Hojo would ask of him in return for the information he sought. Still, enduring whatever he had in mind would be worth it, if it would help him find a cure for Genesis. Or so he found he was reminding himself of, at the moment.

"I am here, actually, to sate a bit of curiosity." He started off slowly, stepping into the office a bit further as he clasped his hands neatly behind his back. "According to another scientist's research, early on in the SOLDIER project, there were experimental uses of genetic therapy. And one, by a man you might know by the name of Hollander, suggested there could be a degradation of cellular infrastructure showing after some time. I was wondering what your thoughts on that were, and whether or not there was a cure developed, since as far as I can tell, none of our SOLDIERS appear to be suffering."

There it was, just play into his hands, allow him to correct you and teach you. Feign interest and hopefully he will fall right into your hands in turn... He would just have to pray he could stomach the man's prolonged company long enough to get the answers...

Hojo looked at Sephiroth for a moment, mind calculating. He knew his son was involved with that experiment of Hollanders. He'd tried to have the man executed for treason. Spoiling his perfect creation, but the president wouldn't have it. Genesis Rhapsodos was still far too valuable. Well, not anymore. The annoyance would be dead within the next few months. Hojo had seen the blood work.

"Curiosity indeed." Hojo quipped, circling Sephiroth. "Well, it's always nice when a son takes interest in his father's work. But you have nothing to concern yourself with. The process used to create you was utterly perfect. Your body will never degrade. That idiot Hollander couldn't splice DNA if his life depended on it. Or, in this case, the life of his ignorant pet project."

"The process used to create you and your _friend,_" Hojo's voice sounded disgusted at the word and hinted at the fact that they both knew better. "Were both different than the standard SOLIDER process, that is correct. But they were also both vastly different. I can tell you for a fact that the man's blood is poison. You cannot save him." Hojo wanted Sephiroth to realize his folly for involving himself with someone so unclean. "Your blood is perfect and shouldn't be mixed with his."

Hojo could not have anticipated how Sephiroth might take that last line. The spark it might grant as he continued on. "Perhaps, when this distraction is gone, you can get back to performing your duties properly. Don't think I haven't heard about your recent demands for time off while I was gone for a week. Now, as much as I enjoy your presence in my lab, unless you'd be willing to provide a blood sample or submit to a few tests, I suggest you be on your way."

Hojo looked away from Sephiroth and adjusted his glasses again. Once the man was broken from the loss of his lover, no doubt Hojo could get anything he wanted out of the man. He was counting on that day and, when it came, he would have plenty of work to do. His conditioning on Sephiroth had begun to wear a little too thin for his tastes, especially when Rhapsodos and his friend, the Hewley one, were allowed to start working with him.

Sephiroth, much to his admirability, managed to swallow the urge to reach out and snap Hojo's neck, even if only just barely. Instead, he offered a curl at one corner of his lip, looking condescending before merely shrugging. This was a brave move on his part, but Hojo appeared to be too busy with his plotting to have noticed the look his prized 'son' was giving him.

"We both know you were given the job as head scientist for a reason." Was all he offered.

Hojo merely waved him off, which allowed Sephiroth a moment to mull over the information the scientist had given him. So, the process by which the three of them had been given their enhancements was different? And evidently, whatever Hollander had done, it wasn't as fool proof as what Hojo pulled off. Well, that was a load more of information than he was expecting to get from Hojo and so easily on top of it. Or so he was assuming.

"I will stop by the lab for blood work." Sephiroth replied softly, then turned on his heel and made his way out of the office casually.

Truthfully he wanted to get out as quickly as possible, but he couldn't let Hojo see just how much it unnerved him to be in his presence. The other man would likely have taken advantage of it the next time he was forced to come in for experimentations.

Armed with the knowledge he was given, he headed towards a lab and spoke with an attendant. It would be an hour or so before he could leave the floor and then there were several errands he would have to run before he could get back to Genesis. However, once he did, he would offer what he learned to the other man and speak with him on the idea that it was giving him.

There was a lot of work they would have to do, but Sephiroth would ensure it got done. He would not lose his lover, not like this, and not while knowing Hojo seemed to be counting on it happening.

Genesis laid on the floor, shaking like mad, screams falling from his lips. He had been in their kitchen attempting to get some lunch when his body had been overcome by a tremendous pain. He felt himself splitting apart from the inside out. Tears spilled out and Genesis was certain that this was it. He was going to die. His only regret was that Sephiroth wasn't home. He wanted to be able to look at his lover's face one last time.

He'd thought there would have been more time. Genesis had promised Sephiroth three weeks and the man had hardly even gotten one. Shakily he reached for a notepad that had fallen with him to the floor. He slipped the pen out carefully. His writing was a mess, but still legible. _I'm sorry. I love you. _Splashed across the page.

Another round of pain and another scream as, in a spray of blood, a large black wing pushed itself violently free from Genesis's back. When it was over, the man collapsed unconscious in a pool of crimson liquid that had flown from his body, certain that he had found his end.

Sephiroth was rounding the corner to their apartment when he heard the screaming. Without thinking he ran forward and slammed himself into to the door, barreling into the living room. His mind was racing with various possibilities, but he was ready for anything, in case someone had been stupid enough to attack them in their own home.

All the training in the world could not have prepared him for what greeted him in the kitchen. A strangled sound, mixed between disbelief and anguish, fell from the General's lips as he collapsed onto his knees before Genesis' form. His arms stretched out with shaking hands as he reached for the ginger hesitantly. He was dead?! Sephiroth's mind could not even begin to process it as tears threatened to well up in his glowing eyes while he touched a gloved hand to his lover's broken body.

Still so warm... and the sight of that wing. It was such an oddity, but at the moment he was not interested in its presence or the why of it for that matter. Sephiroth forced another choking sound back down his throat as he pushed the strength through his muscles to collect Genesis into his arms. The Silver General was breathing hard, too hard and too fast, on the verge of hyperventilating, but he couldn't stop it. He had never dealt with a situation like this before. Love and affection was so alien to him and to suddenly experience the loss of someone so important to him?! The grief was far too much for him to handle.

"No... no no no no no..." his voice shuddered as he spoke softly. That single word was the only thing Sephiroth appeared to be able to manage voicing, the proof that he was breaking down with each second as it passed.

Time, he needed more time. This could not be it! Sephiroth drew Genesis head up against his neck and cradled his body against his chest, rocking back and forth on the floor of their kitchen slowly. His mind was fracturing and breaking, he could feel everything start to slip away with the chaos of the situation and he found himself surprisingly content with the idea that he might just lose his mind with his lover gone. But then his fingers brushed along Genesis' neck and he could feel a pulse still there, faint and labored, but still there. Through the onslaught of emotions he was now having a first-hand course of, he had picked up on it. Faint, but alive.

Immediately he switched gears. It was like grasping at straws and he knew it, but the rational part of him had still been there and was desperately attempting to regain control of the situation. He had no time for a breakdown. Alarm bells were going off loudly inside of him. This was no longer an attempt to figure out how to mourn the loss of a lover, it was now time to administer any form of first aid he could manage. And calling this emergency in with the medics was, for some reason, the worst possible idea he could have come up with, though he was not sure why he was suddenly so wary of ShinRa's help. With widened eyes, Sephiroth pushed to his feet and rushed Genesis to the bathroom. He didn't know exactly what he could do to help his lover, but stopping the bleeding was among the first, and since cure materia was not going to work, he would just have to do it the old fashioned way.

He stumbled once or twice on the way to the bathroom, noting how distracted he was, mind running several thousand miles a minute in panic, and he forced himself to pause and take several shaky breaths before continuing. This was unacceptable behavior for a man who was as rigid and calm as could be on any other given day. Never mind the fact that the situation he was in at the moment warranted a bit of emotional lee-way. This was Sephiroth, after all. And he had little patience for his own shortcomings. Once he had Genesis in the bathroom, he stripped him free of his clothing and ransacked the linen closet for any and all of their towels. They might get ruined, but he didn't care. The cost of losing a few towels was nothing next to losing Genesis.

Pressing them tightly against Gen's skin where the wing had ruptured through, he started the water for a bath nearby with his free hand. His hands and form were still shaking, but he managed to get the work done within a few minutes. And by the time the bathtub was filled with hot, soothing water, Sephiroth was gently laying Genesis into it after he had pulled a chair into the bathroom to sit himself nearby. The blood was already clotting, and, from the looks of it, after he had cleaned the area, it all appeared to be mostly superficial, at least on the at first sight. He made a mental note, however, to brood over the idea that a wing rupturing from the shoulder blade of his lover could somehow be referred to as something like 'superficial' in his mind.

The moral dilemma of that wing's presence put firmly behind, now he would just have to wait and hope Genesis would come too soon, all the while attempting not to allow his ever ceaseless mind to remind him that the other man could be in a coma, among various other medical scenarios that were equally just as bad or worse. He carefully and gently washed his lover's form free of blood. He had to give himself something to do other than sit by idly and wait while he processed all the information this entire situation had given him. By the time his breathing had evened out and he could feel his nerves calming, he realized that there was a lot about his relationship with Genesis that he had not bothered dwelling on beforehand. But instead of losing himself in thought over the issue, he concentrated on the image of Genesis' pale face, unconscious and hauntingly at ease. For once, he shut his mind down before the rest of his pragmatic mind caught up and delivered several new situations and scenarios that would leave him tense and worried until his lover opened his eyes.

Time seemed to pass by, crawling inch by inch with each second a painful awareness to the Silver General. When Genesis started to wake, he wasn't sure where he was, just that the pain had subsided. His whole body still ached, but it was nothing like he had felt before. He wondered idly, if he was dead, why he felt anything at all? As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Sephiroth and his voice was lost in his throat. The other man had not noticed him stirring just yet and he immediately noted the strain on his lover's features. Sephiroth could hide his emotions well, so perfectly in fact that it was infuriating most days, but today and this moment was a rare form for the General. He looked as if he had been dragged through the wringer and back.

Genesis had been so certain of his death. The pain had been too great to be anything else and he had resigned himself to never seeing his lover again. Now to awaken with him right there. He hadn't even hoped. Shakily, he reached out for Sephiroth's hand as his voice came to him.

"I thought I was never going to see you again. All I thought about was you; I love you." His words were cracked and dry but filled with emotion. This was a man who had faced his own death and he realized the only thing on his mind was how Sephiroth would be after, letting the man know he did love him.

The Silver General startled, quite visibly. It would have been rather amusing, in any other situation, and perhaps a matter of pride for Genesis, to note that he successfully dropped one over on the other man's head for once, however, such thoughts were very inappropriate and far from either men's minds. Sephiroth's eyes even widened in a very uncharacteristic show of surprise, though his expression melted just as quickly into relief.

"I love you too." He spoke hoarsely, the words a mechanical reaction by now, but this time the well of emotion behind it was all too clear.

"You gave me quite the scare, Genesis." Sephiroth replied seconds later, trying his best to keep that fear out of his voice as much as possible, "I saw you, laying in the kitchen when I returned, I thought I had lost you."

Genesis was still certain that he was going to die. Even if he'd had his time extended a little bit. And a sorrow filled him that hadn't been there since he had accepted his fate. He wanted to live, if simply so he could spend the rest of it with this man, spend eternity with him. He closed his eyes again, trying to content himself with the time he had left, shortened now, he was sure. The wing on his back hadn't even registered yet. All that mattered was Sephiroth.

Sephiroth's hand finally stretched out after Genesis had initially reached for it, allowing him to take it and have it for whatever he needed. With the other hand, he continued to draw hot water up with a rag and squeeze it over the red-head's back and shoulders, gently cleaning away the last of the blood. He was sure his lover still had to be in pain, but he didn't know whether there was anything he could give to the man to ease it. And the ignorance frustrated Sephiroth more than anything else, when it came down to it. But at least Genesis was conscious and that much was enough to keep him calm.

"It is a good thing you lived, because I managed to figure something out." He offered Genesis a small smile, deciding to switch gears with something a little more optimistic, gods knew they needed it right now. "I have found my answers, Gen. We just need to move as soon as you are able. I will need a few moments to deliberate and then we are going to take a trip to Nibelheim."

Nibelheim. The name still brought a mixture of feelings to the General and it was not often he willingly thought of that place. Or more importantly, the mansion and the lab that laid hidden below. Despite the discomfort the idea was bringing him, he had already known that it was his best option, even before letting the name of the small town leave his lips.

Genesis smiled, looking up at Sephiroth. In spite of himself hope blossomed in his chest. "I think I'll be alright, at least as all right as I'm going to get." The redhead smiled as he tried to sit up and winced, finally noticing the wing on his back. "Seph..." He choked out, fear in his eyes. "I really am a monster."

"You are not a monster." Sephiroth murmured softly, wrapping his arms tightly around Genesis' form.

Wet and soaking, he didn't seem to care for once that the famous leather of his coat might dampen. It, like everything else in their apartment together, was much more easily replaceable than Genesis himself. And it was clear that his lover was attempting to address something that threatened to break his mind down.

There wasn't much color in Genesis's face to begin with at the moment, but the last of it drained away. He threw his arms around Sephiroth and clung, he knew the other man must have seen it and he prayed he wouldn't push him away. It was a ridiculous notion, but the irrationality seemed so commonplace in moments like this.

"How am I going to go anywhere like this?" He shook as he spoke. Genesis had never felt so out of sorts in his entire life. Thankful for Sephiroth's presence.

The Silver General looked the wing over and thought deeply, reaching out to touch it gently with a gloved hand. It was real and seemed functional, the feathers gleaming beautifully in the light of the bathroom. Now that the gore had been cleaned away and he had acknowledged its existence fully, he was admiring it while poking and prodding and even petting curiously.

The redhead couldn't help it when a small moan escaped his lips as Sephiroth touched his wing. The new appendage was very sensitive. He was still unsure of it, but Sephiroth wasn't turning him away and seemed to actually like it. That did a lot for his mental state. He didn't know what he would have done if he'd woken up alone with the thing.

"Honestly, I think a wing suits you. Beautiful and exotic, truly." Sephiroth finally stated, sounding rather matter-of-fact. Of course he wouldn't see something like this as strange, considering the fact that he grew up in a lab.

"There is nothing wrong with you that cannot be fixed. I am sure of it now. Perhaps, once you gain a bit of strength back, we can see if you can't retract it somehow. Until then, I would not pay it much mind." He paused, sighing as he caught a look from Genesis out of the corner of his eye, then continued, "Yes, I know, that will be easier said than done."

Pulling his hand away from the wing, he tilted Genesis' head up and pressed a deep, loving kiss to his lips. He would not be pushing the other man away, wing or no wing. Genesis was his completely.

"I want to go now. I just- you've given me some hope despite everything, and I just... I want to go." Genesis was almost pleading. "I thought I was dead too and I don't know what this did to Hollander's time table. I don't want to wait. I want to live. To live with you. And when this is all over, we can sort everything else out."

He closed his eyes, using Sephiroth as leverage to stand. He was a bit shaky from the blood loss but still managed to lift himself up. "Had to pick someplace cold, didn't you." Genesis laughed a bit, trying to lighten the mood. Even with the wing and the pain. Having Sephiroth and having hope, it was all he needed to feel better.

"My apologies." Sephiroth murmured absently, lifting to his feet to steady Genesis further. His eyes went to that wing once more and he caught himself from reaching out to touch it yet again.

The moan hadn't gotten pass him. And he supposed that that was part of the reason why he wanted to get a feel of it again. But this was highly inappropriate for the situation. Genesis was in no condition for him to be seducing him, even if indirectly. He dropped his hand and reached for a clean towel, then helped Genesis out of the tub to dry him off.

"The only reason I want to go there is for the lab. It is well out of the way and I will have time to do my research and refine a cure. Not to mention the fact that ShinRa will not approve of my actions. Hojo was kind enough to offer me an idea that I want to work with, at least as a basis, if nothing else. And I can't just give you a blood transfusion, not if our blood types don't match. Though I am not even entirely certain something that simple would work to begin with either..."

He knew he was talking about things Genesis likely wouldn't understand, considering that he hadn't explained what it was that Hojo had told him. But that didn't matter just yet. All that mattered was Genesis and making sure that he was comfortable and capable of moving.

"Blood transfusion?" It was obvious that Genesis was confused by his lover's words. "Blood type? I'm A+." Genesis rattled off. Most men in Shinra knew what their blood type was. It could save their life.

Sephiroth paused and looked at Genesis, frowning with a soft "Damn." Falling from his lips.

"Well, that will complicate things, but it won't push me back any further." He offered Genesis a faint smile before leading him out and taking him to the bedroom to get dressed.

"We can gather some things and prepare. I would prefer to get there as quickly as possible, but we can't risk stealing a helicopter. And I don't trust anyone else enough to ask them for help. We'll just have to take the long route by boat."

Genesis stood and wrapped himself in the towel. It was more for the chill in the air than modesty's sake. Sephiroth had seen every inch of him several times over. He noticed the man reaching for his wing again and didn't miss the look in his eyes. Sephiroth really did find it beautiful. That more than anything helped his mood. He really didn't care what anyone else thought, save maybe Angeal.

"I don't mind a boat." Genesis muttered. Flying right now seemed rocky anyway with the wing. "What do we need? It might help if you told me what you found out."

His mind was having trouble keeping up anyway. Likely part of the degradation. He'd do whatever Sephiroth asked though. He loved the man and right now the General was his only hope.

"I had already planned on having to refine my blood to begin with, to some extent. As for what I found out, Hojo was very willing to offer information, even if he didn't realize he was doing so at the time. He seemed to be riding on the hope that I would just let you go."

Sephiroth snorted as he spoke and started moving about the room, gathering a fresh pair of pants and shirt for Genesis as well as several other articles of clothing they would need while being away for so long.

"We had the same genetic therapy done to us. But the processes by which they were given to us were starkly contrasted. According to Hojo, whatever methods Hollander used, they weren't nearly as refined or perfect. And I believe he hinted at the fact that what you were given was a slightly different strain. Perhaps even more unpredictable than the normal Mako infusions that most SOLDIERs receive. While, naturally, Hojo is an arrogant bastard, he is intelligent enough to warrant that kind of assessment and likely knew about the differences first hand. It would account for why I haven't suffered the same fate.

Whatever the case is, what I received was far more pure, or at least stable. And so, if I can find a way to refine it from my blood, it should help you. The only problem is..."

He sighed and shook his head, "It would be like forcing you through the treatment again, unless I figure out another process for it. Gen... this is going to take a lot of work. And we'll have to take every bit of research we can before we go. I was lucky in that the lab assistants left me alone long enough through my blood work to get copies of some of Hojo's work, but... it's incomplete. I'm hoping... more so than I should, that they were sloppy when they left the lab at Nibelheim and left more of it behind there."

Not to mention the very serious fact that all of this was riding on a theory and one he had dragged up on a spur of the moment. But he could not bring himself to mention that much to the other man. It was enough that he sounded confident enough to give Genesis hope. Sephiroth did not want to think about what might happen if his convoluted theory proved wrong. There simply would not be time for second chances.

And to make matters worse, Genesis walked over and placed a hand on the side of Sephiroth's face before kissing him. The look of complete confidence and trust in him might have broken his heart, if he allowed it to. Failure was not an option. And yet, the hardest lesson he learned today was how fallible they just might be after all. Such a sobering concept was not easy for someone like Sephiroth to swallow.

Then Genesis spoke, "I know I wasn't very optimistic at first. But I believe in you. I believe you can do it. We both know Hojo has always been secretive about you. You're right, it's the one option Hollander would have never had. I believe that my cure is within you. And if it's not, then I still get to die at your side."

Oh, well, _that_ certainly made the Silver General feel loads better. Sarcasm aside, Sephiroth appeared to have regained his composure and was currently attempting not to level a very irritated glare on his lover. After all, Genesis was completely unaware of Sephiroth's train of thought, so he could not very well blame him.

Genesis pulled away and threw on a pair of pants, but remained shirtless for now, with the wing it would be nearly impossible to put on a shirt, unless, like Sephiroth suggested, he would be able to retract it. "I may have to get some button ups, cut a hole in the back." He muttered before closing his closet door.

"Going through the SOLDIER process again would be nothing and I'm certain your hands will be more gentle than Hollander's. If it's what it takes to stay with you, then I will endure it." He walked back over as he spoke and put his arms around Sephiroth.

"Just tell me what you want me to do." He offered before claiming Sephiroth's lips for his own again. Black feathers floated through the room with each step he took.

Sephiroth hummed softly into the kiss and smiled when Genesis pulled away. His hands had reached up to stroke affectionately up and down along his lover's shoulders. He wanted nothing more than to sweep him off of his feet and make love to him slowly, but he was also afraid such an act might hurt the other man. And so he refrained from letting things go too far. And only just barely this time.

"We need to figure out if that wing of yours can be retracted. If it can, that would make traveling a lot easier on us." He exhaled slowly and grew thoughtful. "Perhaps a bit of meditation and calming might help? If you want to settle down and attempt it, that is. It couldn't hurt and, if nothing else, you'll be a bit more relaxed by the time we leave. I can pack in the meantime and get everything else ready."

He had already pulled out a suitcase, which he used on rare occasions when he knew he would be out on a mission for more than one day. Packing clothes was the easiest part and of course he needed to bring a few extra things with them.

"Hmm... I don't even know what state that mansion is in. And I do not think it would be wise to stay at the inn so openly. We will likely have to head into town and up to the mansion at night. I'm sure we can get in without being noticed then. But unless there is a bed somewhere in there...

To hell with it, I'll pack some sheets and blankets just in case our luck turns out for the better, for once."

Genesis shifted and sat down on the bed, wing draped out behind him. He wasn't sure where Sephiroth got the idea that his wing might just... disappear, but he wasn't going to question him, not right after promising to do what the man said.

He crossed his legs and closed his eyes. Genesis had meditated a few times. It had been recommended to try and tame his fiery temper, but hadn't been nearly as successful as his relationship with Sephiroth at softening his attitude and thus he had fallen out of practice.

Genesis took a deep breath and tried to lose himself in his mind before envisioning pulling his wing in, it becoming part of him again. He lost track of his surroundings, something he could only do when he felt safe. And anymore he only felt that way when he was alone with Sephiroth. A peculiarity anyone else might have balked at, if it wasn't for the fact that most people only saw or heard of the more dangerous and cold sides of the Silver General.

He was so lost in himself that he almost gasped when the weight of his wing vanished in a flurry of feathers. Genesis's eyes snapped open, out of his trance, and he looked at Sephiroth. "Seems you were right about the wing, love."

"Something else we can just add to the list." Sephiroth replied absently as he stuffed the last of the items they would need into the suitcase.

He had returned with another bag, one that looked like it held a laptop that belonged to one of the scientists in the science department rather than a personal one that may have been issued to the Silver General. Evidently, Sephiroth's idea of 'getting copies of Hojo's work' meant relieving some poor lab tech of his laptop. Subtlety was not one of Sephiroth's strong suits. The General set that aside and looked over at Genesis finally to address his success.

"Well, that is convenient. I honestly was not sure it would work. But it is good to know I can make an educated guess and be correct. At least now you can finish getting dressed."

Genesis looked like he would have made some comment about whether Sephiroth really wanted him to get dressed, but honestly right now his body wasn't up for sex and he just wanted to get out of here. It was a strange sensation, having your body and your mind at war with something that both normally would have been ready to take at a moment's notice.

Slowly he stood, letting his aching muscles stretch and walked back over to his closet, pulling out a black turtleneck and slipping it on.

"It feels weird." Genesis muttered, he knew the wing was there just below the surface, he could feel it. "But you're right, this I can deal with. I may never have to drag it out again." As he spoke, he looked back at the mess of feathers.

Sephiroth followed his gaze and noted the very same feathers, then smirked and murmured, "You're molting."

Genesis leveled a fiery glare on Sephiroth that was reminiscent of his much more characteristic temperament and something that the Silver General found himself missing suddenly. It was a fleeting moment, but the preciousness of it would be enough for Sephiroth to grasp at greedily and tuck away to fuel him through his research, when the time came.

Genesis wrapped his arms around himself a bit, it felt odd right now, thinking that he might actually be around for the holidays this year after he'd been so sure he'd never see another harvest. "What do you need me to do?" He asked for the third time, hating sitting idle, feeling useless.

"I hope the molting can be stopped, at least." Sephiroth mused as he swept back towards his lover and wrapped his arms gently around him. "I think it only serves to make you look that much more beautiful."

"Now, as for what I need you to do... is get a bite to eat. We have everything packed. We just need to eat something before leaving and that emotional breakdown I had earlier has me famished. It will be a long drive to Junon, as it is. So. Lunch, then we make our way out of the city. Does that sound fine?"

Genesis moved over to the other man and gave him quick kiss. "Thank you, for everything, really." His voice sounded lighter than it had since this whole ordeal began. Genesis knew that, in the end, this would draw them closer and knew that he had made the right decision in telling his lover. Why he had even considered keeping it from him he couldn't recall.

He made his way into the kitchen, bypassing the bloody feathery mess on the floor and opened the fridge, pulling out various items to make a few sandwiches. He hadn't seemed to notice that the mess was still there and neither had Sephiroth. The silent tension of the moment and the feeling of haste was enough to make both men dangerously oblivious. On top of everything else, Genesis really didn't feel like cooking, not after what had just happened, but food was needed. He grabbed the bread and went about making them sandwiches, feeling at least a bit useful in this menial and domestic task.

The idea of life had nearly invigorated the man. And he smiled slightly as he worked. Genesis knew that they still had a fight ahead of them, but that didn't matter anymore because there was hope.

"Here." he offered Sephiroth as he sat a plate down in front of the man, cleaning the mess up on the coffee table before he took his own seat and began to eat. He finally felt like he could face the world.

Sephiroth nodded and reached out to take a sandwich, then leaned back as he bit into it. His gaze fell onto the suitcase that held their thing, and a few other essentials, and then to the laptop case. He was already running another checklist through his mind, making sure they hadn't missed anything.

"Your sandwiches are always amazing." He finally murmured, turning his head to offer Genesis a rare warm smile. "I find it mind boggling that you could master something so simple and make it taste ten times better than anything I might make myself."

"Now you're just flattering me." Genesis returned as he finished his sandwich. When this was over, Genesis knew they would have to sit down and talk. He had enjoyed the turn of their relationship immensely, but these past few days had been some of the best he'd had. He almost hated to admit it, but he enjoyed this almost domestic life. It was certainly a drastic turn from his previous dreams and goals to become a Hero beside Sephiroth.

And that was the real point, thoughts of the war and being a hero had grown distant in Sephiroth's presence, somehow. But then, he supposed, nearly dying could have that kind of effect on someone. He stood and grabbed his red leather coat, before he glanced at the bags, then looked back up to his lover. "Ready?" he asked a bit heavily as he bent down and gathered a few of them.

"And just in case, what are we telling people if they see us with these bags? I don't think we want to cause much of a fuss getting out." Genesis asked looking over at Sephiroth, curiosity dancing in his eyes.

Sephiroth was finishing the last of the sandwiches, as having quite a bit of his blood drawn had left him a little more famished than he had let on. When he swallowed the last bite, he nodded and pushed to his feet.

Taking the time to return to the kitchen and to set the dishes in the sink, Sephiroth only paused when the question was posed. And then he turned to regard Genesis with a faint smile.

"Simply that I am dragging you to Wutai myself, after a long, heated lecture about responsibilities." He laughed softly at that and rinsed the last dish before turning on a heel and trudging back into the living room to grab the suitcase.

"We should not have too many problems and, given the situation, I am sure you can manage looking dejected and a bit put off, if the question comes up? You are, after all, an amazing actor. Perfect for the stage."

Sephiroth leaned over and kissed Genesis gently before offering him the laptop case to carry. He would have let him take the suitcase, but since his lover was in a lot of pain and his wounds were not healing properly, he didn't want to risk him straining any muscles in the process to add to his injuries. And yes, he did consider Genesis to be rather delicate at the moment, just because of his degradation.

Genesis raised an eyebrow. At one point Genesis might have bristled at the thought of Sephiroth treating him like this, but he knew his actions were out of love and concern so he couldn't fault him too much.

"You seem to like buttering me up this evening." The redhead replied with a smile. "But it does sound like a plausible explanation for our actions."

"I am not where I am without good reason." Sephiroth finally replied softly, sounding a bit distant and brooding.

He took the things Sephiroth had given him and followed the man out the door. Genesis didn't glance back, knowing that, depending on how things went, they would never be coming back here. Genesis had yet to share his desire to leave the fighting permanently no matter how this scenario ended. Mostly because it had been a split second decision made while he was feeling so out of sorts. It could change later, even if he might not think so at the moment.

The redhead knew that life on the battlefield was all Sephiroth had ever known. Genesis didn't want to take that away from him. At the same time, a desire to show this man a peaceful life like what he'd had back in Banora grew. It was a subject he'd decided to breech only after he'd been cured, otherwise the conversation wouldn't matter.

The General looked over to the ginger, giving him a quick glance, he knew the image of Genesis lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood would stick with him for some time, haunting his dreams as much as his conscious mind. Finally, after affirming the redhead's condition, he asked him, "Are you ready to leave?"

Genesis just nodded, shifting the weight he was carrying a bit, before heading towards the door.


	3. Departure

We just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who's read/reviewed/favorited/followed this story so far. This story has now been beta'd throught chapter 8! Thank you.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter. - DHT and darksargonas

* * *

Sephiroth could have been thinking of any number of things, but it was likely directed at thoughts of research and what he would need to get done. They made their way rather uneventfully to the parking garage. It wasn't that surprising. People tended to give the pair a wide berth when they were separate, together and, with the scowl that Genesis had artfully plastered on his face, no one dared say a word.

As they loaded their supplies into the van, Sephiroth again did the heavy lifting, not letting Genesis do anything that could potentially strain himself. Without question he seated himself in the driver's seat as the ginger sat in the passenger's seat next to him. Genesis's looked like the very definition of someone who was annoyed. His elbow was leaning on the window seal, hand resting in his hair as he looked out the glass. From the outside, anyone would guess that the ginger was rather cross with his current companion.

As the engine started, and Sephiroth pulled to the gate, he expected that their exit from Midgar at least would be smooth, but then a squeaky young teenage voice fell upon his ears. He stifled a sigh, likely a new recruit, and he tuned the recruit out until he realized the gate was not lifting.

"...Um if that's alright Sir." Was all the General managed to register from the voice of the recruit. The tail end of some sort of request and Sephiroth appeared not to comprehend such a thing.

"If what is alright, cadet?" Sephiroth replied in a neutral tone, disguising anything he might have been feeling at the moment. He could, out of the corner of his eye, see Genesis twitching. It was easy for him to tell that the ginger was nervous, even if no one else would be able to pick up on it.

"You aren't scheduled to leave and I was ordered to record everyone who exited and their reason for leaving the base." The poor guard replied. He had specifically remembered his commanding officer invoking Sephiroth's name. It was usually a scare tactic and the cadet never imagined he would actually have to confront the Silver General.

Genesis turned, without missing a beat as his fiery eyes landed on the poor man at the gate. "_My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I?"_ The ginger quoted before his lips turned into a bit of a scowl, directed at the man in the guard post. "Sephiroth and I are running off to the Gold Saucer to get married. Kindly lift this gate before I turn it into slag."

The cadet in question was now obviously shaking as he gaped slack jawed for several moments. His mind could not seem to wrap around those specific sets of words, as though the combination of them suddenly turned the entire language into something alien.

"You're what...?" he stuttered, what could be seen of his face had clearly paled. "I uh," his mind was racing, panicking not sure what to do. The guard was sure "eloping" wasn't on the approved list of things someone could commandeer a company vehicle for. And he couldn't even begin to think of how he should approach this matter. He was certain that it was well above his pay grade and even more terrified that his luck seemed to land him in the perfect spot to screw up so badly!

Sephiroth shot Genesis a rather well executed signature stare-of-doom, one that was performed so flawlessly it was impossible to tell whether or not he was faking his irritation with the ginger or truly agitated by his lover's indignation. With a firm shake of his head, he caught the cadet's gaze before responding.

"We are _not _heading to the Gold Saucer to be married, first off." Sephiroth intoned gravely as a reprimand, "I am currently en route to move Commander Rhapsodos onto the next boat out for Wutai, since he believes he could _wrongly_ drop his duties on another's shoulders. I am sure you are well informed by now with the rules. Swapping is not permitted on such high level Missions unless otherwise stated or agreed upon by the Director or the ShinRa Board. Check your manual if you continue to insist questioning my authority."

The poor cadet swallowed hard and turned to look at the roster on the company computer, indeed Commander Rhapsodos had been scheduled to leave for Wutai sometime last week. The man breathed a small sigh of relief, he had a reason to let the General go that wouldn't end up with him on the wrong end of Masamune. But then, as he was about to hit the button to lift the gate, a confused expression made it all the way down to his visible lips.

Before he could even process who he was questioning, the guard asked. "But why aren't you taking a helicopter? Surely they would commission you one and it would be much faster."

"Do I look like I would be driving this death trap all the way down to Junon if I had a bird available?!" Sephiroth snapped in that drill-sergeant tone that would have left even the hardiest of men shitting a two-ton brick.

If one knew what to look for even with the helmets, the cadets and infantry could be read like an open book. That was certainly the case with the poor guard, who was shaking and appeared as though he was about to fall over as Sephiroth's gaze was leveled on him again. Inwardly, Genesis felt sorry for the man. Almost anyway. They were trying to get out undetected and the cadet would likely be in hot water once the news arrived that he had let the two of them slip by so easily. It was even possible that his career would be over before it had even begun. Though with a bit more thought Genesis realized that might actually be a blessing for the young man.

The unfortunate soul in question, cowed properly for a moment, finally managed to blurt out: "I'm sorry sir, of course!" The words were smashed together, but both Sephiroth and Genesis had dealt enough with tongue tied cadets to know what was being said.

"Can we go now? It's bad enough that you're dragging me off when I was just beginning to enjoy my vacation. Now you have to waste even more of it by pulling me cross-country." Genesis snapped, true to form.

"Yes sir!" The cadet quickly replied, pressing the button to raise the gate, before offering a shaky salute.

Once they had driven out of the cadet's sight, Sephiroth allowed his mask to drop long enough to show his amusement. He hadn't intended on being so forward about terrifying the young cadet, but, driven by Genesis' superb acting skills, he supposed he could get away with a bit of his own flare. Needless to say, the sound of Sephiroth snickering to himself as he watched the gate drop behind them from the rear view mirror was enough to lighten anyone's mood.

"You realize you probably shaved off ten years of his lifespan just from that reprimand alone?" Genesis purred out while looking at his lover from the corner of an eye.

"His hair probably turned white under that stuffy helmet." Sephiroth agreed with a laugh.

"You are a dangerous, dangerous man with all that influence. We should all be thankful it hasn't gone to your head." The ginger commented, obviously highly amused.

"Mmhm," Sephiroth intoned throatily, sounding a bit more absent as he settled in for the drive.

The trip itself to Junon was dusty, bumpy and downright uncomfortable. Genesis was still sore, but he kept his mouth shut. It was not worse than many of the missions they had been on, nor the rides from Banora to Mideel to sell the family dumbapple stock. Most of it passed in silence, as Sephiroth took the time to think over and plan out the details of their trip and plans to fall back on in case something wasn't as he expected when they arrived. They had to stop a few times in inns along the way, but no one was willing to pry into the lives of Shinra's elite and, in many cases, simply chose to avoid them altogether. Normally such a thing would not have bothered Genesis, the general populace outside Midgar often didn't care much for ShinRa. Even his hometown of Banora would treat the company as a necessary evil. With recent revelations however, he had to wonder if there was something that these people knew that they didn't.

Genesis's own parents had spoken ill of the company and had been furious when their son had left to join SOLDIER's ranks. He had doubts that it was over anything more than how it would reflect on them, that the child they raised went off to work for the company they so despised, but he wondered if he should have listened to them for once. If he had then, he wouldn't be dying right now, but, on the other hand, he wouldn't have gotten close to Sephiroth either and that wasn't something worth giving up.

When they reached Junon however, the slightly relaxed atmosphere they had disappeared. Sephiroth reasoned that, if their plans would unfurl anywhere, it would be here. Junon was crawling with ShinRa personnel, especially Turks. There were holes in their story that would fool a cadet, but not one of Shinra's well trained agents.

They had reached the port city in the evening and checked into the inn. It was a risk, but it was the least suspicious move they could make. The transport that would take them to Costa del Sol was due the next morning.

Genesis had been 'confined' to their room. Which boiled down to Sephiroth having asked him to stay behind while the man replenished their supplies and made the arrangements for the pair's transport. The ginger was sprawled out on the bed when his lover returned, an unreadable expression on his face.

"That bad?" Genesis questioned jokingly.

"There was a storm at sea, the boat I had intended for us to take has been delayed several days, a week at worst." Sephiroth replied, Genesis could tell the man was upset, but he wasn't sure why.

"We can just take the civilian ship that leaves tomorrow afternoon, can't we?" The redhead asked, he had seen the schedule his lover had gone over before departing earlier.

"We need to keep this as official looking for as long as possible. It's the reason why we stayed in the inn for military personnel rather than the civilian one." Sephiroth explained in the tone he often used when explaining mission details. Though, in this case there truly wasn't much difference. The General had to admit however, explaining what amounted to battle tactics to his lover was odd, a true sign that Genesis's mind was slipping.

"I still don't understand why we are essentially sneaking around so much." Genesis sighed. He wanted to get to Nibelheim as quickly as possible. The civilian ship appeared to be the faster option. "I mean it's not like Shinra can do anything to stop us."

Sephiroth rounded on Genesis with a muted expression that was a cross between disbelief and exasperation. Was the degradation truly beginning to affect the other man so much that it had made him blind to the obvious? Or had his own perceptions and views been dramatically re-centered after the trauma they experienced so recently in Midgar? He was not certain that he could see the line so clearly anymore and, though that worried the General to a point, he was much more concerned with relieving Genesis of his ignorance on the matter.

"ShinRa stopping us is not the point. Under normal circumstances I would agree with you, however there is nothing normal about our current situation as it stands." Sephiroth started off slowly, "Ask yourself what resources they have left at their disposal to confront us with, should we be caught in the midst of this deception. What... a handful of Turks at best and a few soldiers that are barely tried in combat situations and highly strung?"

Sephiroth folded his hands behind his back as he began to pace and shook his head, cutting off any reply from Genesis just yet, "Rhetorical question. The answer is simple, given the way orders are handed out to the Turks, it is much more reasonable to assume that we would be accosted at gunpoint in the hands of fresh cadets on their way for a first tour in Wutai. And you and I have been around enough untried men to know just how jumpy they are in a highly stressful situation."

"What? So you're scared of a few green recruits?" There was annoyance and confusion in Genesis's voice, if not a bit of frustration. He truly couldn't understand what his lover was getting at with all this.

"You're damned right, I am terrified of a 'few green recruits', as you so casually put it!" Sephiroth snapped, feeling his patience finally reach its end on the matter. "You can't tell me you haven't realized just how dangerous a situation we're in right now! Especially given the manner in which I found you in our apartment! Now tell me just how simple it would be for me to deal with one of those skittish recruits after he's pulled the trigger before being given an order out of fear or some other misplaced emotion. And now you're left bleeding out with a bullet hole the size of a godsdamned marble, in a place that I can't be expected to tend to with simple first aid! Have you forgotten that cure materia doesn't work on you?!"

Sephiroth was gritting his teeth, but he forced himself to calm down despite the way his body shook and took a breath. His chest heaved up and down for several moments as his eyes closed and he turned away from Genesis to regain his composure. Just from the stiffness in his form it was easy to tell the General was running just such a scenario through his mind as he had spoken the words, and involuntarily at that.

"We know for a fact that materia doesn't work on you, Gen. We wouldn't be in this position in the first place if it did. Now you tell me again why I shouldn't be worried about some spineless little greenhorn with an itchy trigger finger. You're vulnerable, Genesis, whether you like to admit it or not. And right now, here in this place and especially over the trip to Costa, there is a very real chance I could lose you if we don't play this by the book as close as possible."

After he had spoken his mind, Sephiroth finally stopped pacing the room long enough to collapse into a chair and lifted his hand to brush across his face. Long fingers pinched at the bridge of his nose as he attempted to work through the various emotions that coursed through him so recklessly. He was angry, yes. At Genesis for not being able to see something like this and accounting for it and at himself for not doing a better job at covering their tracks. Fear was not a feeling he was used to dealing with, as it often took him to a place he would rather not revisit from his childhood, however, it was a sobering enough concept to snap him out of his gloom. And with that fear, Sephiroth found he could think surprisingly much more clearly.

For his part Genesis sat in stunned silence, not sure whether he was more surprised that Sephiroth had so thoroughly thought out this scenario or the fact that he hadn't even considered something like this at all. He had come to terms with his own mortality, but the idea that his end might come from a jumpy infantryman as they made their way to Nibelheim hadn't even crossed his mind.

"I..." The ginger started and trailed off, unable to think of something appropriate to say. It wasn't often that Genesis thought that Sephiroth truly had a right to be upset with him, but he couldn't fault his lover for this outburst.

"I don't even." The commander swallowed hard again, still trying to string something together, whether it was an apology, an explanation for his actions or both, he didn't know.

Finally he brought his hands together, realizing he was shaking just as much as the Silver General, though for different reasons. "I never even thought." Another attempt to speak, before his mind truly caught up.

They had been so invulnerable for so long that the idea that Sephiroth may not even be able to stop someone from mortally injuring him was a shock, but the scenario was all too close to reality. Genesis had seen many new recruit jumping the gun. The reprimands always came after, but nothing could take back that initial mistake. And nothing would have been able to fix the damage that would have been done, if he ended up on the receiving end of just such a mistake.

"Alright." He finally agreed, before turning in on himself.

"I am sorry for making you feel weak, Genesis." Sephiroth replied after silence had stretched between them long enough to make it feel awkward.

Angeal had gone through great pains to make both men realize just how awkward they should be feeling during a long pause after a tense argument or conversation. Just like this one. Something about making sure to give a little ground both ways in order to ensure there was no lasting damage. Or at least give one less reason to hold onto the situation as fuel for a later discrepancy. Relationships were complicated.

"I simply needed you to understand just how dire the situation was. It is not easy for me to deal with the fact that I may not have nearly as much control in any of this as we perhaps both were used to believing I did in the past."

With such a simple admonishment as that, Sephiroth had managed to show once again just how far he had come in understanding emotions and their impacts. His pride was wounded, but it was not Genesis' fault that he found himself with a bitter new outlook on their future.

Genesis turned to look at his lover, apologies came more often now than they had before, but that didn't mean it was a common occurrence for one of them to admit they'd done something wrong. It was a bit astonishing for the redhead that Sephiroth had apologized at all, mostly because he didn't think the General had done anything wrong to warrant the apology in the first place. It was not normal for the man to apologize when he knew he was in the right. Pragmatism versus ethics. It was a misunderstanding they often got caught up in before.

When he spoke, he related this fact. "You have no need to be sorry." He muttered, shaking his head. "Everything you said is true."

The ginger ran a hand through his hair, letting out a staggered sigh. "I never even thought about being shot in the wrong place or any matter of things. It's hard for me to admit I need help, but I've realized I do."

By now Genesis was exhausted emotionally and physically, and Sephiroth wasn't far off. The tension that would have otherwise lasted for days had at least dispersed as the pair prepared themselves for bed. Silence reigned between them as both had expended all the energy they had left on the semi-fight before.

Three days passed and, by the time the boat finally arrived, Genesis was on pins and needles, thinking over the scenario his lover had given, but the air between them had cleared.

"Don't relax just yet." Sephiroth had to remind the ginger as they boarded the military transport, along with fresh group of infantry on their way to Wutai. "It will be a long ride to Costa."

* * *

A sigh escaped the lips of a young infantryman as he settled into his bunk. Some days he just felt like a number, especially when his commanding officer insisted on calling them by their company assigned identification number. CAIN for short. His happened to be 3347, and there was no shortage of degrading and insults that came with such impersonal references.

The young man had boarded the ship bound for Costa del Sol earlier that morning along with the rest of his unit. It would be his first tour of duty, another infantryman that was bunked with him had been twice before and had spent the afternoon filling his ear with stories of General Sephiroth, Commander Rhapsodos and Commander Hewley. He hadn't had the nerve to tell his own story of his encounter with the first two not a week earlier. It seemed to contrast so vividly with the other tales that he was beginning to think he might have dreamed the entire encounter.

There was another round of stories moments later, this time one of Sephiroth taking out an entire unit of Wutai Crescent troops on his own, when the unit's commander stuck his head in the room suddenly. The expression on his face was blatantly furious.

"3347!" the man snapped, and the poor infantryman jumped to attention. "You were supposed to be on duty 30 minutes ago, what the hell have you been doing?!"

"Sorry sir!" The infantryman replied, immediately cursing in his own mind.

"Get your ass out there before I have you thrown overboard." The officer snapped and '3347' scrambled out of the room.

None of his bunkmates however had the nerve to laugh, instead they were just glad it wasn't them who had brought down the wrath of their unit commander first. Many were the tales of an ill-fated cadet who was caught with his pants down, so to speak, and was forced with punishment detail for a week. All of the tasks were obscenely menial and required back breaking labor, but the punishment was usually horrendous enough to keep second offenders to a minimum. Most tended to learn quickly that it was not wise to shirk while working for ShinRa.

And of course there were the odd tales here and there about punishment details tossed out by the Silver General or the other Commanders. Now those tasks were the stuff made of nightmares. In fact, one story circulated among the new recruits was about how Commander Rhapsodos had sat in a chair, reading Loveless and firing out fireballs as "endurance and dexterity training for disorderly recruits." No one knew if it was true or not nowadays, but Genesis Rhapsodos was rarely involved in anything to do with trainees, so the story had some merit or so 3347 had thought.

As he threw his helmet back on over his short brown locks and ran to his post, he found himself barreling into the back of a red coat. He heard a yelp and a thud as the form in front of him went sprawling to the ground. In a split second the cadet was wondering why anyone would just stand in the middle of a hall, especially in the tight quarters of a ship, just before he stumbled and caught himself from landing on his victim.

"What on Gaia!" A voice cried out, obviously in a bit of pain, mixed with startled anger.

"I'm so sorry!" '3347' yelped out by reflex, attempting to help the man he had knocked over up, he hadn't processed exactly who it was he'd ran into yet.

Before he could realize what was going on, he saw a flash of silver as he was slammed up against a wall. Panic set in and froze '3347's limbs and mind. It was all he could do to gape like a beached fish at the most terrifying image in his life. He knew he wasn't the heaviest recruit for ShinRa, but dear gods! Sephiroth was so much stronger than he looked!

"Sorry, sorry!?" An irate voice screamed. "You come crashing through these halls without bothering to look where you're going and slam into Commander Rhapsodos! What the hell is wrong with you?! Exactly where is this perceived fire that was lit under your ass so fast that you felt it was perfectly 'alright' to forsake common sense?! You irresponsible little-!"

Sephiroth's rant was cut short as Genesis laid a hand on his shoulder. It stopped the General long enough for him to release his quarry. "Calm down Sephiroth, it's just a scratch."

"Just a scratch!? This is exactly what I was worried about, it may not be a bullet hole, but it's still nothing to just brush off!" Sephiroth exploded, looking as if he were about to turn on '3347' again.

The young cadet's survival instincts kicked in even before his feet hit the ground and soon after he was running for his life. It was the fastest he had ever known himself to run and he was pretty sure his life was flashing before his eyes. Still, he could make out the argument between the two that was growing fainter by the second as he made his escape.

"Killing a cadet isn't going to win us any favor, and we would have a lot of questions to answer about why you got so upset that one knocked me to the ground." Genesis replied, being remarkably calm considering he was the one who had been sent to the floor.

"We need to get you off this ship and away from these damn recruits." Sephiroth growled out as the young man finally got far enough away to lose the conversation.

His poor brain was so frozen from shock over what had happened that he could not even begin to process what he overheard. Twice in the span of two weeks he had managed to come face to face with his idol, General Sephiroth, and twice in those very same weeks he had managed to anger the man. And yet somehow he had lived. He was certain this was some sort of accomplishment, especially given all the stories about 'disappearing' recruits. He would have to correct one of the rumors though, it seemed the silver haired General was much quicker to anger than Commander Rhapsodos.

Later that evening, when he had calmed down and returned from his patrol duty, the infantryman was able to reflect back a bit on the encounter and, of all the things to dwell on, he thought back to the comment that they couldn't get a helicopter to Junon, yet that's how he himself had arrived just a few days before the ship had left. It was alright though, the lone infantryman was far passed questioning anything General Sephiroth did. Especially when he could not seem to keep a lid on his own thoughts before they made it to his lips and blurted out within earshot of the man.

It was a lesson he was sure he would take with him for the rest of his career.

* * *

It was the fastest Genesis had ever disembarked from a ship in his life as Sephiroth practically carried him off. There had been no further incident since he'd been knocked to the ground by a random infantryman, but his lover hadn't allowed for either of them to relax until they had made their way off. As it was, the Silver General had been in a mood even long after the offense had taken place, with Genesis willing to forget it had even happened. With a few calm words and likely a bit of lip service, however, Sephiroth had been placated enough to get him refocused. Sephiroth, could apparently hold a grudge.

It was a simple affair to break from the group in the city. A day's rest in the sunny beach town was enough diversion for them to slip out peacefully. After all, the city was well known for getting many of ShinRa's employees in trouble while on shore leave, or leave in general. The natural chaos provided an excellent smoke screen to maneuver around, even for two people as readily identifiable as Sephiroth and Genesis. From Costa del Sol on out they did their best to stay off the record and out of sight, which meant acquiring a pair of chocobos off record and camping out along the way. Nothing the two of them couldn't handle even if Sephiroth was still rightfully concerned about Genesis's welfare. He wished he could have provided the man a proper bed, but that would have to wait until they reached Nibelheim.

Along the way Sephiroth took the opportunity to dive into the research he had stolen from Hojo's lab as well as from the laptop itself he had 'relieved' a scientist of. By the time they reached Nibelheim, Sephiroth had had a pretty good idea of what he would need to do. At least in theory. Genesis had spent most of the trip in thought as Sephiroth worked. Having someone working so hard and fighting for him was a wonderful feeling, and Genesis was very grateful for the effort.

The Nibel mountains proved to be as cold as their reputation claimed and Genesis couldn't help but let a few complaints about the weather slip, however, all he received in return was a bit of a communicative grunt from his lover and a shake of the man's head.

As they entered Nibelheim proper, the ginger pulled his coat tightly around himself and followed Sephiroth. Idly he wondered how the man even knew of the backwards mountain town and why anyone would put a lab here, but he wasn't going to question it. Not when it would lead to his salvation.

Looking up at the mansion doors, Genesis shivered a bit as Sephiroth stood their stoically. The old building had a bit of a foreboding air and the ginger really wondered if his cure could be found in such a place. They had come so far, it would have been such a pity to find whatever lab Sephiroth claimed to be laying in wait had been reduced to something unsalvageable.


	4. Crisis Core

Here's chapter 4 since its 4th of July this week, it's a sort of present, a day early and around 9k. Hope you enjoy it please review! DHT and darksargonas.

Edit: I apparently messed up when reposing the chapters after the beta edit. Fix now!

* * *

The old ShinRa mansion had a haunting feel to it, but the General was far too distracted with his work to notice it. The furniture was still there, though covered in large white sheets. And thankfully enough, they happened across a bedroom that still had a bed in decent enough condition to sleep on. Things were looking good so far. They were even fortunate enough to come across some old medical books that had been left behind in the mansion library that would suit Sephiroth's purposes, though he had not quite figured out how just yet.

The General spent the first few hours unpacking their things. Genesis helped where Sephiroth would let him, but the man seemed to want him to sit and rest more than anything. Things had been worse in that sense since he had passed out on the floor. He realized how terrifying that had to have been for his lover, especially after his reactions (and overreactions) on the way here. Still, he would have to find something to do to occupy his time. Genesis was not the type of man to sit idle.

When Sephiroth was satisfied that everything was in place, (minor OCD issues aside) he gave a silent nod to himself. Turning to smile at Genesis, he shouldered the laptop bag and prepared himself for the walk down. As an afterthought, however, he paused and silently pointed to the medical books they had spotted earlier, indicating Genesis could retrieve them. The ginger was happy to make himself useful in some way, even if it was to simply ferry a few books. Any task helped at the moment. Gloved fingers swept across the dusty tomes, curling beneath the books until they were safely tucked against his chest.

"Shall we go visit the lab then?" It was now or never and Sephiroth was impatient to get things started.

Genesis gave Sephiroth a smile of his own and nodded. "Sounds wonderful." He offered as a reply, just as impatient to get things moving. The ginger followed Sephiroth, still curious as to how the man knew so much about the mansion and the lab. "I assume you've been here before?" He finally asked.

Sephiroth was trying to work a mathematical equation in his head when the question Genesis posed finally wormed its way into his consciousness. They were halfway down the stairs towards the lab when he stopped and looked back at his lover with a muted glance.

"I stayed here. For a little while, when I was younger. I don't remember everything that went on. I just remember..." He paused and turned his head to stare down the stairwell, his expression darkening for a few moments. "It doesn't matter. At least something good will come of this place now."

He started again and seemed to rush even further, as though getting to the lab was all he could think about.

Genesis sensed that there was something Sephiroth wasn't telling him, but he knew better than to pry. Both of their childhoods had been a touchy subject. Though as Genesis looked around, he could see the traces of what this place used to be and the walls seemed as cold as the home he'd grown up in.

The ginger sat the books he'd been requested to carry down and then left Sephiroth to his work. His lover had grown up around lab equipment, where Genesis had had Dumbapple trees. It was a very sobering thing to be reminded of right now. Especially with the way the man looked at the equipment. "I'm going to look around." He offered to the Silver General as a courtesy more than anything else, his eyes falling on the rows of books. "Something at least for me to do." He muttered, doubting he'd find a copy of Loveless on the shelves of a place like this.

"Don't stray too far." Sephiroth cautioned, glancing up at him through his bangs as he pushed aside a few broken beakers and began cleaning away the dust that had settled on the counters. "This place is old and falling apart."

He left it at that and even went so far as to add a smile, to reassure the other man that he didn't think he was completely hopeless at this point. Still, the fact that he was allowing himself to show that much concern made it obvious he was truly bothered by the thought of losing Genesis.

The ginger in question offered a nod before turning back around and nearly rolled his eyes at Sephiroth's concern. It was not like he was going to bring the house down around them. He appreciated being on the receiving end of Sephiroth's protective nature, but truthfully he was beginning to fray at the edges with all of his lover's concerns and attempts to keep him penned in. He knew the other man meant well, even had some very valid points, but it was starting to feel a little stifling. Genesis continued his trek, looking at the old books lining the shelves. A red-gloved hand lifted, clearing the dust away as he came to the study. Despite his pride, a chair sounded good, as he pulled a random book off the shelf and started to read.

Back in the lab proper, Sephiroth looked around at the mess and realized he would have to spend a day just cleaning things up before he could even begin to get to work on figuring out what equipment still functioned and what needed repairing. He almost felt disparaged by the sight of things, but no goal worth its weight was not worth the amount of effort he would need to put forward to succeed. Especially with Genesis' life on the line. It was going to be a very long week, but he was determined. If there was one thing anyone learned about Sephiroth, it was that driving the man to determination often left his intended goal in a position that should have just accepted its fate and allow him to win.

He set about finding rags and began washing the place up. It would have to be spotless so none of his work would be contaminated in the process. He knew this much, if nothing else, after having spent so much time in whitewash-walled rooms and sanitized _everything_. This would take a good hour of work before he would be satisfied, if not a little longer, but he was devoted to it.

Within the study, Genesis sighed as he read, apparently what he'd grabbed had been a research manual. Not that surprising to find in a lab and he would have stood to grab something else if he hadn't assumed that all the books were more of the same.

'_Subject S responding well to conditioning. Expect full responsiveness by the end of the month_.' "Were they training some kind of animal here?" Genesis mused. As he kept reading, detailing different scenarios 'Subject S' had been subjected to kept unfolding. They seemed cruel, twisted and unnecessary. The SOLDIER nearly felt sorry for whatever poor animal this had been.

He stretched a bit though, and sighed the pressure on his back was getting nearly unbearable. Genesis knew Sephiroth didn't have a problem with his wing and even seemed to like the thing. Exotic, his lover had called it. The ginger moved to take off his coat and shirt, but it seemed the sheer desire to bring it forth caused the appendage to push through. Genesis was nearly astonished that his coat and shirt weren't in ruins. Glancing at the feathers that fell to the floor around him, it was still hard not to think of himself as a monster. Genesis didn't put too much thought into it, however, as Sephiroth still loved him, monster or not, and in the end that's what truly mattered to him.

On his feet, he sat the book in his hand down and grabbed another random volume, hoping to find something at least a bit less twisted to read. It was a long shot, but perhaps someone had tucked something away.

Sephiroth was more than absorbed into his task by now. He seemed rather obsessed. Having found the sink and discovering it to still be in working order after an adjustment or two of the pipes below, he had salvaged a bucket and began running hot water and soap to disinfect the countertops that he had dusted. Soon the room was smelling of honey and lemon, the scent of whatever cleaning chemicals he was using.

All in all, to an outside observer it would have looked rather amusing, to watch Sephiroth move about the lab doing domestic chores with the same kind of fervor he held in any other situation he was tossed into. Always the perfectionist, it would seem. And he honestly did not look as though he were bothered by all the work he had to put into his efforts to save Genesis. Truthfully, the simple fact that there was hope this would work was enough to keep him motivated.

He would glance back at Genesis occasionally, making sure the man was still there and also stealing a few precious images of seeing him looking so serene and at ease. And even with the wing out, Sephiroth felt his heart swell with pride and love at the sight of that beautiful countenance. _My angel._ The image seemed to cry out to him and a genuine smile crossed his lips before he turned his attention back towards cleaning up the lab.

_My broken angel. _He reminded himself mentally and dived back into the cleaning.

Genesis was back to reading shortly, after finding a comfortable way to sit with his wing out. He had his legs propped up on the desk while fingers idly turned the pages of his new find. It turned out to be more research records from this 'Subject S'. The records turned gruesome and Genesis realized why he always hated scientists. Then he read another line and froze.

'_What we can only assume are Jenova's maternal traits have started to surface in subject S. Cat like eyes, silver hair, increased sensory perception.'_

Jenova was the name Sephiroth had given him for his mother. Genesis hands started shaking. There was no way. No way those crazy scientists would have done that to Sephiroth as a child. No way they would have done those things to any human being!

Then he remembered the earlier exchange with Sephiroth _"I stayed here. For a little while, when I was younger. I don't remember everything that went on. I just remember..." He paused and turned his head to stare down the stairwell, his expression darkening for a few moments. "It doesn't matter. At least something good will come of this place now."_

Genesis nearly vomited. And Sephiroth had chosen to come back here? Of his own free will? All to save Genesis?

In the next flash of a moment the redhead hurled the book at the wall and was running down the hall, only to throw his arms around Sephiroth mid work and just clung. "I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have…" His voice was shaking, but calm. "You didn't have to come back here, we could have found something else."

Sephiroth made a soft startled sound as he felt Genesis' arms wrap around him and straightened. Or tried to, with his lover wrapped so tightly around him, it made the effort slightly awkward.

"What in the nine hells are you going on about?" He murmured faintly, furrowing a brow as he turned in Genesis's arms to look down at him.

One hand lifted with a cleaning rag to rest it and his palm on Gen's shoulder, while the other fell to rest on his lover's waist, steadying them both. The look of abject horror and pain on his face startled the General, but he was already suspecting that the other man had happened across something that was left behind from the time he had remained here as a child. A sigh left his lips and he closed his eyes.

"Gen... put it out of your mind. This place is merely convenient, that's all."

"I can't put that out of my mind!" Genesis almost snapped, Sephiroth wasn't the only one that could be deemed protective.

"That man needs to be hung." Still the ginger hadn't let go of Sephiroth. "Especially if the rest of those research manuals are more of the same. I've seen a lot of shit and spent plenty of time in the lab myself, but that made me sick."

Genesis didn't know what else to do. He wanted to drag Sephiroth out of here, away from this horrible place. He wanted to go and torture Hojo. Anything. But he knew his lover would not be moved. They were here and Sephiroth was focused on saving Genesis, a focus that would not be broken.

"No matter what becomes of me, promise me you won't let that bastard touch you again." The redhead almost growled.

"Honestly Gen." Sephiroth sighed, feeling a bit at odds with the interruption and whatever it was Genesis was going on about. "I am not so delicate. I will be fine."

Sephiroth truthfully did not remember much from his time here to begin with. And though there was a nagging bit of curiosity as to what Genesis had gotten into to make him react so poorly, he also knew that it was a distraction he could not very well afford. For the moment, he swallowed any attempt to pull away and pick up the books Genesis had been reading.

After several tense and silent moments spread between them, Sephiroth shook his head at an earnest glance pointed his way from his lover. There was no point dwelling on the issue for him, so he turned about face after prying himself loose of the red head and seemed to work harder and more intensely than before to get back to cleaning the lab. The trauma was horrific enough to have been locked away in his mind so that he barely remembered his time here. That should have been enough to tell anyone he was not interested in discussing the matter.

"We'll be out of here in no time." He forced himself to speak, having learned through trial and error that if he didn't, someone could mistake his stony silence for anger, even if Genesis knew how to read him better than most.

And Genesis thinking he was angry at him led to a whole other level of conversation that Sephiroth did not feel like pursuing. Not while he was already stressed enough from having to be in the mansion and worrying over the ginger's health.

The man in question wrapped his arms around himself. It was obvious that Sephiroth didn't think anything should change. Of course the other man had known what was here all along, Genesis thought. That made him feel for Sephiroth all the more. He knew now that his death would hit his lover hard. Hard enough that he may not care what Hojo wanted to do.

It made living all the more important, along with convincing Sephiroth not to return to ShinRa when this was over. "Alright then." Genesis spoke softly.

He could sense his mind slipping and needed to focus on something. Sephiroth was in charge of his cure and the books no longer held any interest for him. The redhead almost felt like he was going mad.

He slipped back away as Sephiroth continued with his task, setting out to explore their temporary home further, all the while praying to Minerva that it hid no more hideous secrets. Though with his luck recently, he didn't hold much hope of that.

Sephiroth vigorously worked in an effort not to think about the lab and the few memories it was bringing up. It was taking him awhile, but by the time he was finished, the place would be immaculate once more.

After some time he finally took a step back to eye everything as the last speck of dust had been washed away, then gave a firm nod to himself. Without further hesitation he dove into the task of testing the equipment.

The first problem he ran into was an electrical short that was keeping power from getting to some of the equipment setup. And he found himself digging through a wall after removing a panel and fussing with wires. Not for the first time did Sephiroth find himself grateful for having an insatiable desire to learn everything he could about various topics. Being a jack-of-all-trades came in very handy for a man that often found himself in peculiar situations when on missions. He had learned that early on and his desire to seek perfection in all of these things had been another reason why he was considered such a stunning example of a SOLDIER.

No task was too menial for him to learn to master. And before long he had the issue fixed and found everything in working in order. This stroke of luck was not lost on him and he couldn't help but allow himself a brief smile for it.

Genesis found himself wandering around the lab a bit more in the meantime, having gone back to feeling useless and still disheartened by what he had read earlier. The fact that Sephiroth seemed to think it wasn't worth getting upset over truly did trouble him. Still, there wasn't much he could do about it, not without pushing his lover too far. In this place, even he knew that was a bad idea. Though the matter was far from settled as far as Genesis was concerned.

The redhead found himself wandering out of the lab, leaving his lover to his work. Sephiroth had warned about the structure, but things seemed alright to Genesis, so used to relying on his own judgment for things. As he headed back out into the hall, he noticed a curious door. He glanced back into the lab, watching Sephiroth work and sighed. Hopefully this would be less gut wrenching than the library and it was at least something to do.

He tried to open the door and found it locked, then decided to try and force it open. Taking a step back, the redhead studied the door for several moments, then reached out to take the handle. Gripping as hard as he could, he lunged forward with all of his weight, expecting the door to give way. Instead, he bit back a cry as he felt his muscles strain from the effort and held his injured arm when the thing didn't even budge. Genesis likely should have walked away, but now the door had become a challenge. With a wave of his other arm he sent a ball of fire at the hinges. As the flames hit, he watched the door blow off the wall.

"Take that!"

A few small rocks fell from the ceiling and Genesis bit his lip. At least he hadn't caused any serious damage, but perhaps Sephiroth's warning of the structures' stability needed to be heeded more carefully.

Once the smoke cleared however he looked into the room and stared for a moment. "Well, just when I thought this place couldn't get any creepier." He muttered under his breath, cradling his sprained arm.

Sephiroth started at the sound of the explosion and the tools he held in hand fell to a useless clatter over the counter and rolled off onto the floor. The General paid them no mind as he had swiftly turned on a heel to chase after the sound of the explosion.

Already his mind was panicking with a number of scenarios he might find his lover in, sick at heart that he could have brought him all this way, only to lose him to some cave in. He pushed the thoughts aside and focused on finding him, which didn't take long.

When he arrived, he could see the destruction that had taken place, with telltale traces of blackened and charred walls, along with splintered wood. The smell of sulfur, burning wood and dust filled the air around them. There was still smoke thinning out from the impact of what could have only been a fireball, a much larger one than the redhead had intended to cast.

An exasperated sigh escaped Sephiroth's lips upon seeing Genesis and the state of the tunnel. He was relieved that the other man was unharmed, but he couldn't believe Genesis would do something so careless. Especially after the heated conversation he had had with him in Junon.

"What in Gaia's name has gotten into you!?" He snarled, stomping into the room after his lover, fully prepared to give him another lecture. "After everything that has happened leading up to this point, how could you possibly consider using materia?! This is not a place for you to go wandering around and throwing fireballs! What if this had been a storage room filled with chemicals!?"

Oh dear gods, if it had been… the blast could have taken them both out. He grabbed Genesis by the shoulder without thinking and turned him to face him, then back peddled as he heard his lover cry out in pain. All trace of anger melted away from his face to be replaced with regret before his mask dropped back into place.

"Gen... I... I'm sorry."

Genesis held his shoulder still, trying to force the pain off his features. He was silent a bit and it might of been taken for building anger until he spoke. "No, you're right, I was an idiot. I don't know why..." He trailed off a bit, shaking his head.

Why had he thought that was a good idea? He was reckless yes, but not this reckless. Just lucky this time, it seemed. It didn't help that his mind was growing more and more clouded recently, making it difficult for him to process even the simplest of problems that would otherwise use common sense. And though Genesis could be short tempered, he had never lacked in the common sense department, never before and never this obvious. It was disheartening.

"I'd already hurt myself on the door, I just got frustrated and fire seemed like the right response at the time." Genesis muttered uselessly and shook his head again.

He hated the fog that seemed to be settling over his mind. It had gotten worse since his wing had appeared, though he had been doing an admirable job of trying to hide it so far.

"I'll be alright. And no more fire, I promise. But just in case..." Genesis slipped his bracer full of materia off and handed it to Sephiroth. "That way I don't get any more materia related stupid ideas."

Sephiroth stared blankly at Genesis for several moments after the bracelet with the materia had been handed to him. The fact that his lover had even thought to hand it over, let alone gather the will to follow through had clearly startled the Silver General. Things were far worse than they seemed, if Genesis wasn't thinking clearly enough now.

Rapier was already resting upstairs. And Genesis felt naked without his materia, but right now he didn't feel safe with it. And, even after everything else, he couldn't ignore the room. Both men took the opportunity to look around and were silently stunned to find it full of coffins. The macabre feel of it seemed ironic for their situation, a sobering reality to what might just lay in store for Genesis if Sephiroth failed.

"So, he could bother with coffins but not actually burying them." Genesis commented as a shiver went down his spine. After having such a brush with death, Genesis felt a bit for the departed. "We should at least bury them before we leave. They deserve that at least."

Swallowing hard, Sephiroth gave a shallow nod. He was still feeling a little numb. This room gave him the worst sense of foreboding and he wanted nothing to do with it.

"Yeah... we can do that, though, I'm not sure any of them are actually filled." He murmured absently, blinking slowly as he turned on a heel. "It shouldn't be too dangerous for you to check, if you like, and if you find one that needs to be buried, we can work on that."

Tucking the bracelet away into a pocket, the General returned to the lab and forced himself back into his work, cautious and worried for Genesis even more, but confident enough that his lover realized that he needed to be more careful to leave him alone for a little while.

Still holding his arm, Genesis made his way into the side room. The coffins were easy enough to open as he slid the lid off one by one. They were thankfully all empty and he almost left the large one in the middle of the room alone. The lid looked heavy and Genesis was still aching, but he wouldn't be able to sleep unless he knew for sure.

He gripped the edge of the coffin lid and pushed, it was easier than he had expected as the lid clattered to the floor. What he found nearly had him gasping. Instead of an empty coffin or a corpse, the two scenarios he had been prepared for, he found a man with long black hair, ashen white skin, a red cape and a golden claw for an arm.

The commander couldn't register much more before red eyes snapped open. Genesis wasn't sure if what he was seeing was real, not with the way his mind had been. So he did the only thing he could think of and screamed his lover's name.

Sephiroth dropped the tools he was working with for a second time and growled under his breath, irritated that he was interrupted yet again while already filled with nerves that were wound so tight from worry and anger directed at ShinRa in general.

He sprinted back towards the room and found Genesis looking down into a coffin. His first reaction was to question his lover why he would scream over a corpse when they had both seen worse in the fields, but as he got closer, the words died on his lips and he found himself staring in abject shock.

Sephiroth had seen many things in his life, but this was by far the most macabre and despicable thing he could have imagined for anyone. He could tell, whoever it was, was still alive, at least in some sense of the word. The general grabbed Genesis gently and pulled him back behind himself before moving closer. The redhead didn't bristle at being shoved behind Sephiroth protectively, as some would expect. He knew that he wasn't in a position to defend himself. That was clear even in his current state of mind.

"I... can't tell you for sure, I do not ever remember anything like this." He murmured in a hushed tone, body tense in case the being suddenly awoke and proved to be hostile.

The previously trapped man sat up out of the coffin. He was ready to send both of them away when he realized what the redheaded man had screamed. The name Sephiroth. Lucrecia's son. He leveled his crimson gaze on the Silver General and stared intently. It couldn't be. But as the silver haired man approached, he realized that this could be no one else's child. He was at least in his early if not late twenties and had moved to protect the man who had first uncovered his resting place.

"Who are you?" Genesis asked, doing his best to study the man who rose from the coffin and already assuming that this had to have been Hojo's doing.

Vincent ignored him in favor of staring at the other man. "Sephiroth?" He asked in a questioning tone, looking for confirmation of his assumption, though he truly already knew the answer.

"Yes." Sephiroth confirmed easily, his smooth voice carrying a tone of demand all on its own, even if he didn't repeat Genesis' question.

Genesis, whose reaction was more from shock then true fear, looked between his lover and the man sitting up in the coffin. It seemed Sephiroth at least had seen him, so Genesis knew he wasn't quite that insane yet.

Sephiroth studied the pale, dark haired man as well, trying to fit the face to any name and picture he may have seen in the past. None of the faces he recalled from the labs matched this man and, when he couldn't figure out who the one in the coffin was, he found himself wondering which one of Hojo's projects this poor bastard had landed himself in. After all, by the amount of dust that had been unsettled from removing the coffin lid, it was clear this man had been there for quite some time. There had to have been something truly special or at least worrisome about him, if he had been abandoned to the mansion for so long. Though how anyone or anything could survive here without sustenance for such an extended length was beyond Sephiroth. He had many questions, but he would prefer to ask them after he established whether or not this being was a threat.

Vincent looked between the pair a bit more before he slipped out of the coffin. It was another moment before he finally spoke, addressing Sephiroth directly, "Vincent Valentine, to answer your previous question, I was your mother's..."

The man paused for a moment trying to decide how to finish the sentence.

"...bodyguard." Was what he finally ended up with. It was the least complicated of everything he could say. "I thought Hojo had abandoned this place years ago. Why are you here?"

Genesis just watched the man, almost feeling like he was intruding on something. "I'm going to go upstairs, take a nap maybe." He muttered, holding his arm.

_If the encounter devolves into a fight, which I __doubt__, it isn't like I would be much use... _he thought bitterly.

He had given Sephiroth his materia and one of his arms was still bothering him. The fact that Sephiroth would likely fight to defend him also floated through his mind.

As the ginger turned to leave, Vincent's eyes moved from Sephiroth to the other man for just a moment before falling back on the General's form. He didn't know what Hojo had told Sephiroth, if anything. And really he didn't have a right to be speaking to him.

Sephiroth watched Genesis go with a bit of concern, but he didn't stop him. When he was up the stairs, the General's gaze turned back to the mysterious man they had just uncovered and his brows furrowed in confusion as he looked Vincent over.

"You were Jenova's bodyguard?" He blinked then shook his head slowly. The details were always vague whenever Hojo had brought up the identity of his mother and he had had no reason to pursue the knowledge beyond that.

His one and only task had been to be the best SOLDIER and continue being so, and so far, he had done that with exemplary ability. This Vincent Valentine proved to be a mystery and one he would have liked to unravel if he had the time, but he was on the clock, which continued to tick away the longer he remained idle. It was already bordering on obsession with him.

To make matters worse, given the last few blunders that took place every time it happened, he didn't like being forced to watch Genesis leave. The haunting image of finding him on the kitchen floor was still too vivid in his mind, coupled now with a nightmare involving some cadet shooting Genesis on accident and then an explosion wrought by fire materia. Despite his misgivings, he knew his lover needed rest and he had his own task ahead of him. But now, he needed to deal with a new issue. As loathe as he was to divulge any of his plans to someone he didn't trust, the fact that this man knew of Hojo and spoke the name with a hint of distaste, lent more to the idea that his 'father' had used this man as an experiment at one point.

"The mansion is abandoned." He finally relented.

The faster he explained things, the sooner he could get back to work preparing the lab.

"I am here with Genesis because he is dying and his cure is in my blood. So I need to refine it somehow and form it into some kind of treatment that I pray will counteract the degradation of his cells."

Sephiroth honestly hadn't meant to sound so edgy and put off, but he really did not have time to stand here and give his life story to a man that, for all intents and purposes, could possibly have left his coffin any time he wished. Which struck another odd chord for the General, but he shoved the curiosity into the back of his mind with the rest of his questions he had for the other man.

"Jenova? Is that what that madman told you?" Vincent's voice cracked a bit as he spoke, but there was a bit of anger there. The gunman fell back into silence however. Not sure what else he should say.

Sephiroth leveled a narrow gaze on Vincent when he spoke those words. He had no reason to defend Hojo's name or a mother who had never met before. Still, it felt as though he were being led on with information that the other man clearly had, but refused to share. Sephiroth was not in a position or the proper mind set to begin diplomatic measures and he was not sure whatever Vincent had to tell him would even help.

The fact Sephiroth was talking a bit like a scientist put Vincent on edge. He could handle the unnerving stare the other man settled on him, but it appeared Sephiroth was doing as much analyzing as he was at the moment. Ultimately, Vincent realized he didn't know much of anything about him other than the fact he was Lucrecia's child. Though the fact that he was working to save someone else was promising.

"The mansion was abandoned a long time ago." Vincent acknowledged. "Do what you need to do." He realized the task was important to him and was beginning to guess the nature of the relationship between Sephiroth and Genesis. "I hope you succeed."

A chance to gather his thoughts and learn more about Sephiroth was appealing, at least before he told him what he knew. If anything at all.

Sephiroth continued to stare at Vincent for several long moments before exhaling slowly, "I will apologize on Genesis' behalf for waking you, as I assume, since you haven't left yourself, that you choose not to. But if you will excuse me, I have to fix things in the lab before I even begin researching genetics."

The General lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and turned on his heel. He was hoping the other man would just leave it at that. And whether or not he chose to follow him was his own concern.

Sephiroth had been partially right, Vincent thought. There wasn't a choice in the matter. Vincent had no right to leave his coffin. Never mind the fact that the lid had been made so that he could not have lifted it from the inside, to prevent the demon host, Chaos, from escaping as he slept. Not that Vincent would voice this at the moment.

Returning to the lab, Sephiroth picked up his tools for the third time and prayed it would be the last interruption. Sitting down, he hunched back over a machine and began to work on repairing it. He was, at least, fortunate enough to have the manuals nearby for them still, having found them tucked away in a desk. Repairs would prove simple if not time consuming and, by the looks of it, he only really had two machines that would require intensive work.

Vincent stepped out into the hall and moved to stand in the doorway of the lab watching Sephiroth work. Vincent felt his heart ache from the sight, Sephiroth looked so much like his mother as he sat there. The gunman was torn even if no evidence of it showed on his face. He had no right to interfere in Sephiroth life. He'd been useless at saving the man from it. But on the other hand he deserved to know the truth, Lucrecia deserved to be known by her son. Not telling him would only make his sins worse.

There were so many scenarios Vincent was currently imagining, the one at the forefront of his mind was that the boy currently resting upstairs had fallen into Hojo's hands and whatever experiment had been done to him was killing him. Likely a victim of simply loving Lucrecia's son. Sephiroth was currently trying to save him from whatever fate the professor had planned.

Mind made up he walked further into the room.

"I'll help you." Was all he offered as explanation for his actions.

The former bodyguard didn't know how everything worked, but one didn't spend as much time in a lab as Vincent had without picking up something. He would help Sephiroth save his lover and the perhaps tell him the rest of his story when Lucrecia's son was not so focused.

Sephiroth paused, looking up from his work and simply remained fixed in place for several moments before he bothered to turn his attention towards Vincent. He clearly hadn't been expecting anything from the other man and, though his mask was in place, there was a mixture of emotions running through him at the moment.

Some that were grateful, others that wanted nothing to do with Vincent. This was his task, his responsibility. But ultimately, another helping hand in the lab would end up making things run a bit more quickly and that was what pushed him over the edge enough to nod. Genesis survival needed every chance of success it could get.

"Alright." Honestly, he felt Vincent probably knew about as much as he did involving genetics and cellular reconfigurations, which was next to nothing in the General's case. But he supposed another set of eyes would help him find things that he would otherwise miss in his urgency to save Genesis.

"I don't know how much time he has left." It was the hardest confession he found he could ever had made and the pain it dredged up was enough to make him fall silent for several moments after speaking.

"It... seems to be getting worse. I just need to fix another machine and then... after that I need to look through research, on that stolen laptop there and in books here. I really have no idea what I should be looking for, except maybe things on the project itself. Perhaps even a journal left by Hojo. Something that could give me insight on how he did what he did for the SOLDIER project and where it varied with Hollander's attempts. And things involving genetic tampering."

Gods, he felt absolutely useless after having to explain it to someone else and he was doing his best to keep it together for Genesis. Why he was even bothering to talk to this stranger was beyond him. Even if the other man had offered to help, it was still pointless to confide his feelings to him.

Vincent had intended to wait, but he was starting to pick things out of what he was saying. Perhaps the information he had was more pressing than he had originally thought. He stayed silent while gathering his thoughts before he finally spoke.

"I suppose then I should tell you what I know about your birth." Vincent started.

"Jenova was not your mother, though in Hojo's twisted sense I can see why he would have told you that. Your mother was a scientist by the name of Lucrecia Crescent. I fell into Hojo's hands when I tried to stop the experiments he was running on you and your mother." He spoke slowly.

Too much information at once could be bad, especially with someone that had such a high profile as Sephiroth and he honestly didn't know what the man already knew. The fact that he was an attempt to resurrect a dead race would likely not be easy to take. But there wasn't a doubt in his mind, especially with the way Sephiroth spoke of the cure in his blood, that Genesis wasn't suffering from the presence of Jenova cells. He knew of at least one failed attempt to transplant the creature's genes on an already developed human. The results hadn't been pretty.

Sephiroth blinked slowly, setting the tools down onto the table once more before he carefully turned around to face Vincent. The expression on his face showed little amusement. He was not in the best of moods to deal with this kind of farce. Being told two different tales of one's parentage was bad enough, but to have it dropped in this kind of situation seemed ridiculous at best. He could feel his irritation rise once more, even prepared himself to snap at the man, but as he looked into Vincent's eyes, he realized that the other man was firm in his belief that he was speaking the truth. Or at least believed his version of the truth enough for it to appear that way.

"...If what you are saying is true, then what does any of it have to do with me and Genesis? Who is Jenova, if she is not my mother? Explain." He asked slowly, leveling a wary stare on Vincent's form.

The next few words the raven-haired man spoke might end up doing absolutely nothing to the General or it could turn him into something far worse than anyone could have imagined. He was already growing sick with the knowledge that he had been lied to on such a daily basis and weary of the memories this place dredged up for him. He knew he should not have been surprised by this news, given how much the situation with Genesis had opened his eyes to what ShinRa could morally allow. Sephiroth was not about to allow himself to dive into how _that_ made him feel, however. Not just yet, or he would never find a cure.

Vincent took in Sephiroth's body language and tone, realizing that he would have to measure his words more carefully. If he misspoke one word it could make his sins worse, though he was not sure just how bad the impact could be.

"Everything." the gunman finally stated. "I know this must be a shock for you, even if you know who and what Hojo is."

"Jenova was the name given to the remains of an ancient found on the northern continent nearly 30 years ago. I don't know the exact specifics, I wasn't one of the scientists. But I do know they tried to clone her through various techniques that all fell under the 'Jenova Project'." Vincent spoke slowly and carefully as he gave Sephiroth more information, giving the man time to think ahead.

"I know there were many failed experiments before the one your mother participated in. I cannot be certain, but I am guessing that the man with you was subject to one of Hojo's miscalculations." So far he had refrained from directly stating Sephiroth was part of the experiment, but the implications were there. Hopefully the next part would not be as earth shattering. "You were the first success, and therefore the idea that your blood can help him is sound. But now you know why, what to look for and what to purify. "

Sephiroth remained silent for a very long time after he listened to what Vincent told him. All of it seemed too farfetched to even begin considering it for the truth, but everything that had happened to him that he could remember lined up perfectly. Hojo had tried to play god and, though he had failed on multiple accounts, he had one success and that was him.

Never mind the twitch that was currently working its way through his body. Or the heavy weight that was falling over his form. He had known to some extent that he had been experimented on from childhood. That was a given. And it had continued well into his teenage years as he was working his way through the ranks of the SOLDIER program. What he had not known, or realized, was that his entire birth could have been orchestrated from the get go, rather than having been the victim of unfortunate circumstances and handed over to the company for one reason or another. His breathing was already shallow by the time he came to and looked up at Vincent.

"Genesis... was not..." He felt the words fall from his lips, but like watching two cars lose control at either ends of a road and collide somewhere in the middle, his mind was having trouble figuring out which facts to focus on.

Vincent watched Sephiroth struggle and his brows knitted in concern. Without giving much thought to how the other man might react, he did the only thing he could think of that might help Sephiroth regain his composure. A hand reached out to place gently on the Silver General's shoulder, then gave it a squeeze. Firm enough to grab his attention.

"Whatever is running through your mind right now, trust me when I tell you; It was not your fault. You, despite whatever might have been done to you, are still very much human. The fact that you are here to save someone you care for proves this." Vincent spoke the words gently as his gaze softened to match his tone.

It was so difficult watching the son of the woman he loved suffer through the truth, and yet knowing it had to be said so that he might better understand how to save Genesis' life.

Sephiroth paused, he heard the words spoken and his form sagged forward faintly from the touch. It seemed so ridiculous. How could it have been his fault? He had had no choice in the matter... and yet, he realized that he had already been blaming himself somehow. As though he deserved the fate that had been placed upon him. Then there was the matter of the experiments, if they had been done to him from before his birth, what did that make him? Was Vincent right, did he still have the right to call himself human? A shaky exhale made its way from his lips and he closed his eyes and nodded. Yes. He had to believe that. Despite everything else, the fact that he felt so strongly for Genesis, enough to have ruined his own career... surely a monster would never consider such a thing. Crisis averted? Not entirely. The weight was like a stone pressed over his heart, impossible to ignore. However, the news would have to be explored later, he needed to focus on what it meant for himself and Genesis and Vincent's presence was helping to remind him of that.

"Genesis was not one of... Hojo's... projects." Sephiroth forced the words out of his mouth, switched gears back to what he needed, though the last word had clearly been spoken in disgust. "He was assigned to Hollander, a previous associate of Hojo's."

"Hollander? I vaguely recall the name." Vincent replied as he pulled his hand away.

Sephiroth nodded and lifted a hand to brush his fingers over his face before he continued, "They were rivals. Genesis went through a similar process as I did, for the SOLDIER project... or... I suppose, more accurately, this… Jenova Project you refer to."

"I see." Vincent gave a faint nod.

"I could be wrong, but a simple blood test should be able to identify whether or not his blood contains Jenova cells." Lucrecia's son seemed to be focused on saving this Genesis and, if Vincent could keep him on that, it would help him deal with the information he had just been presented. Or at least so the gunman hoped.

Sephiroth's head snapped up suddenly as his eyes widened. He had just come to another realization, one that was darker than he was already thinking with his own existence. Vincent had mentioned failed experiments in earlier attempts with the Jenova project and it was not too hard for him to assume that Hollander was working with Hojo at the time. Sephiroth knew that Hojo had become the head of the science department over something that had happened years ago. Genesis was older than him. A fact he often forgot about when he was with him, given how close they had become. The ginger was as close to Hollander as he was to Hojo, and why not for similar reasons? Sephiroth felt himself start to shake faintly once more as he turned to stare at the metal surface of the counter he had been working at. Had Genesis been a first attempt that failed? Was this the reason why he was degrading now? That had to be it. It was the most reasonable explanation, and it lined up so perfectly with what he had just been told.

The implications alone were overwhelming, bringing about so many dangerous emotions he thought he would never be susceptible to, but he had to force the thoughts from his mind. He didn't have time to dwell on his and Genesis' existences right now. Not while Genesis' life was in the balance. Through all the dark and mind shattering things that those words manifested for Sephiroth, there was one shining ray of light that he clutched to. He was using that now, above everything else that threatened to pull him under the dark waves of his own thoughts.

"Yes. That has to be it." He finally spoke out, then sat back down with a heavy thud, turning on his seat to retrieve his tools.

"I can draw some of Genesis' blood later after I've finished repairing these two machines." Yes, that's it. Pull away from the darkness that was slowly threatening to grip his heart. Focus on Genesis. On his pain and what all of this means for him.

_Drive yourself to work, it was always your best combat against your own pain_. "The tests will likely take a day or two, but we will have an answer and I'm sure somewhere on that laptop there is a pure strain of what Jenova's cells should look like. If you wish to help, you can get started there..." Sephiroth paused, his form stiffening as a thought overcame him, then he turned to Vincent with a questioning look. "Unless Jenova is here. Hm. I do not suppose you would know if she was, now would you?"

Vincent blinked slowly and shifted on his feet as he worked the question over in his mind. He did not know for sure whether they ever kept Jenova here or not, but he was a former Turk and his mind was already running the more logical of scenarios through his head.

"If she was here, she likely would have been kept up in the building by the reactor. However, I doubt Hojo would have allowed her to remain behind when he undoubtedly would have had many more experiments in mind with her. I can say with enough reasonable certainty that, the likelihood is that he had her dragged back to Midgar when everything was moved. You are welcome to walk up to the reactor to check for yourself, however."

The former General frowned, seeming to think the suggestion over. He shifted noisily in his chair as though he were about to leave it and, as far as anyone could have told, it looked as if he were about to do just that. Except he ended up spinning back around to face the machines once more.

"No, that makes quite a bit of amount of sense. I can't imagine someone like Hojo would have allowed for his precious specimen stay behind without making Shinra's ears hurt for it. So they probably dragged her back to Midgar when we moved out of here." Sephiroth spoke, sounding as though he were not at all interested in making the effort to go up and check himself.

The former General had taken all of the news, not well, but better than he could have. The truth was, he likely had had enough surprises for one day. Then again, his mind was far more focused on the life of his lover rather than himself. Vincent could tell it was a defense mechanism just by Sephiroth's body language and that meant it would remain an issue for the man to work through later. He just hoped, when the time came, Genesis would be there to help him through his crisis, especially since it appeared to have intertwined both men so intimately.

Vincent offered a nod when he realized that Sephiroth was waiting for some kind of reply, then silently moved over and started to do as the man had asked. He had already done more talking then he should have, but being able to help Lucrecia's son save this man, who he care so much for, would at least help a bit to relieve his sins.

Except now he looked at what Sephiroth had pointed to and stared for a moment. Of course he wasn't going to refuse to do the one thing he'd been asked, however, the sight of the sleek laptop, which was nothing like the ones he had been used to dealing with before, was a bit daunting. He walked over and inspected the machine for a moment, careful with his claw not to damage it. Finally he found a latch and was able to open it and power the laptop on.

This was going to be a trial for sure, but he wouldn't fail. He couldn't afford to do so again. Not, when he realized now, with the can of worms he had opened for Sephiroth, that Genesis' survival would be key in helping the Silver General cope with ShinRa's transgressions.


	5. Consequences

Here is chapter 5 for all of you :). Chapters 1-8 are now beta'd thank you ! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, please remember to leave a review :) -DHT and darksargonas.

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Sephiroth had spent the past few hours silently working with the last two machines that needed reparations. He would occasionally glance back at Vincent, making sure the other man wasn't having too many troubles with the laptop. He had noted the claw, but saw that the other man was managing with one hand well enough.

It was almost a relief, to have someone there that could pick up some of the weight of the pressure that was on his shoulders. Sephiroth would have never normally succumbed to such stress under any other circumstance, much less admit that he was having trouble. He was a proud man, capable of doing anything if he put his mind to it. However, Genesis's degradation was an issue he never could have prepared himself for. Especially not with the way it was affecting him, emotionally. It left a lot for him to deal with, even if he had been slowly working on the whole 'human' thing for the past few years. It made his work a bit more difficult, more so than he was used to. Vincent's help meant another set of eyes; something to free him of worry and stress due to time constraints was exactly what he needed. There was also the matter of that melt down that was ever present in the back of his mind. It was all so complicated and emotionally taxing that even barely touching the edge of those thoughts caused him enough stress to distract him from his work.

Vincent had done as he was asked. It took him awhile to sort through all the files. There were many things buried here he'd rather forget. He had found the cellular structure of Jenova cells after about two hours of silent digging. Sephiroth still seemed deep in his work, so he left him to it and continued to look to see if he could find anything else relevant. It was in his nature to be thorough when investigating. One of the reasons why he had been so good at his former job.

What he ended up finding instead had occupied enough of his time to make it seem like he was engrossed. His silent nature however was the only thing that kept him from alerting Sephiroth to what he had found. He read it three times over, thankful that the other occupant was too focused to pay him much attention.

On the page was a report from a lab assistant. How the data hadn't been purged would always be a mystery, but it seemed that he or she (Vincent couldn't tell from the report) had gotten curious. DNA tests had been run and Sephiroth had failed to match Hojo.

A second set of tests had been run and those had come out positive. Vincent was staring at the evidence that Sephiroth was his son. His mind was desperately attempting to process the results and, if it was not for the fact that Sephiroth had never known him, he might have considered all of this to be some cruel setup for a joke.

There was no way, however, that he would be bringing up this particular revelation. Sephiroth had already suffered enough trauma for one day, as far as he was concerned, and he was not ready to believe the information on the laptop, no matter how obvious the proof was that stared back at him.

Soon the sound of another machine powering up filled the air, signaling that the last of the lab equipment that Sephiroth repaired was finished. The General leaned back into the chair he had been sitting in and drew his hands to his face. The sound of it whirring to life and making the various beeping noises that it was supposed to forced a sigh of relief from his lips.

It was all finished for now. The only thing he had left to do was gather a bit of Genesis' blood, then run it through one of the machines and let it spit out its information after a few hours. It would likely be a day or so before he could get back to it. But, if all he had to do was waiting for the answer that would ultimately make his life easier or far more complicated, he was sure he could handle it. After all, it was late evening, he needed to cook for them both and possibly their new guest.

His eyes finally glanced over towards Vincent to study the pale figure. He wasn't sure that the man actually needed to eat anything, if he had been laying in that coffin all these years. His brow furrowed at the thought and his curiosity began gnawing at him once more. But he thought better of bringing it up just yet.

"I do not suppose you have been successful?" He finally broke the silence.

Vincent looked over to Sephiroth nearly startled out of his thoughts, but he closed the file, deciding it would be his secret to keep for now. There was no point in making matters worse by adding to Sephiroth's problems with an admonition that the man he thought was his father was in fact not related at all. Nor would telling him that the man he had accidentally woken up was apparently was the one to actually sire him and then be left to wonder where he had been all those years and why he had not bothered to keep him safe from such an ill-fated life. Vincent did not consider himself to be a very good father figure.

"Actually, I did." He stated smoothly, easily pushing aside those darker thoughts in favor of paying attention to Sephiroth.

He pulled the file up and moved to the side to let Sephiroth see the data on the Jenova cells. He still wasn't sure what Sephiroth was, but he seemed quite comfortable in a lab. There was only two ways to get that way and Vincent had an idea that Sephiroth had been subject to the less favorable one.

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow momentarily before pushing to his feet and making his way over to where Vincent sat. He leaned over to read the results himself and furrowed his brows once more. It was dizzying, trying to comprehend all the numbers and statistics, but then he knew he was also trying to think of multitudes of things at once and it would all bleed together if he didn't force himself to slow down.

"Alright." He spoke absently, pulling away after a moment to lift a hand and rub at his eyes slowly, "I need to make something to eat for myself and Genesis, you're welcome to join us. Before that, I should go ahead and take a sample of his blood though. Running the machines can take some time and we likely won't have a result until tomorrow."

He pushed away from the table Vincent sat at and moved towards a cabinet that had still been locked and was filled with supplies. Picking the lock wasn't difficult and he was soon tugging out a few vials he would require. He snatched a needle and some alcohol swabs and stood staring at the cabinet for several moments, seeming to make sure he had everything he would need.

Vincent stayed silent for a moment, again choosing his words carefully. "There is not much need for me to eat." He began, "I can stay in the lab and watch the equipment, make sure there isn't a malfunction. I'm guessing you're in your mid twenties and this equipment is just as old." Vincent offered. He also thought that Sephiroth might want some privacy with the man upstairs.

The silver haired man didn't need permission from him to continue and Vincent found no need to give it so he simply turned and walked away. He had a lot to think about and some time alone to sort out exactly what to do with the information he acquired would help.

Sephiroth offered Vincent a stiff nod, swallowing the question that he would have liked to have voiced on the issue instead. He could tell the other man wanted to be alone and he supposed he had impressed enough of his own worries on the mysterious man to realize he might need to back off a bit if he wanted to continue counting on his help in the future.

Sephiroth now found himself unchained by the necessities of social interaction, so he swiftly made his way back upstairs. There was only one task set in his mind at the moment. However, the sight of Genesis resting had given him enough pause to stare and take in the image of him. The lines of pain and fear had smoothed from his lover's face, leaving behind a peaceful mask as he slept.

He felt something begin to ache sharply and pushed back the horrifying images of finding Genesis in a bloody pool in the kitchen. He did not need to lose his calm here and now. Especially not with the revelations that Vincent had shared with him looming over his head still, waiting to be added to the number of things that seemed intent on breaking him. He could worry about the nightmares and the Jenova Project later when the threat of Genesis dying from this disease had passed. He shifted and began moving once more, reaching out to gently nudge his lover awake.

"Gen... wake up. I need a blood sample. And I will be making dinner soon." It was a rather odd pairing of sentences to string one after the other, but well, tact wasn't exactly something that was on the forefront of his mind at the moment.

Genesis groaned a bit as he was woken up, rolling over, his eyes fluttering open to look at Sephiroth. He leaned up to kiss the man and nodded. "I was expecting that anyway, honestly." Genesis admitted as he stood. "Though food does sound good." If the redhead had been put off by his lover's manner, no one would know it.

He wanted to stretch but was too sore. His shoulder still didn't feel right from earlier, however he kept the frown off his face. Sephiroth was already worried enough about him. "I'm assuming you found something if you want a blood sample though." Genesis spoke smoothly, but his stomach was twisting. Hope was a dangerous thing indeed.

Though his lover standing there with a needle did serve as a reminder of what he had read earlier. He hoped they could leave this place soon, especially since the man didn't want to deal with the memories this place harbored and Genesis couldn't help but dwell on it.

Sephiroth guided Genesis to a chair in the bedroom and sat him down before tying the rubber tubing around his arm. He stretched his arm out and felt around until his fingers touched against Genesis's strong pulse. Field dressage was sometimes necessary if materia was short and other more menial means would have to be relied on for medical situations. Learning to properly use a needle and inject it into the veins was something Sephiroth had been taught out of practicality.

His touch was gentle and, after cleaning the area with an alcohol swab, he inserted the needle with the most amazing precision that it was startling. He managed to hit the vein the first time. Holding the needle carefully, so as not to jar it around in Gen's arm, he reached for several vials and slipped them into the other end of the blood drawing needle. Immediately, warm blood began to fill the vial with the suction.

He ended up drawing three separate vials by the time he was finished and labeled all three. Then he carefully removed the needle and pushed a cotton swab onto the area, guiding Gen's fingers to it.

"Just put on pressure for a bit." He murmured absently as he turned around to finish his work. "We did find what we were looking for."

Genesis sat through the blood drawing just fine. Considering what he had been through before, Sephiroth tenderness and the fact that nearly everywhere hurt at this point, he didn't even flinch. He followed Sephiroth's instructions wordlessly, realizing how focused the man was. It would be pointless to get anything out of him before he was done.

Sephiroth had been concentrating hard enough to make sure he drew the blood correctly and was making sure it wasn't clotting in the vials. So far, so good. And now that that part looked to be over, Genesis proved to be right as he seemed more willing to speak.

"I need to see if you have Jenova cells in you." He spoke simply, then paused as he realized that Genesis hadn't been there for the revelation that Vincent had dropped on him. "Jenova... is not my mother. She, or it, whatever the case, is apparently an ancient that was dug up some time ago by the Company. And Hojo, along with a few other scientists, no doubt, were using her DNA in experiments. I have them present in me."

He made a soft sigh and closed his eyes, trying desperately not to think about the implications of all of this, but to focus instead on the more important task of saving his lover. He could worry about being a monster later.

"...If... they are present, and of a different strain, then that could be why you are degrading. Mr. Valentine seems to think that is the key and I am willing to agree with him. So, we must run blood tests. I need to drop these off and get them running through the machines first, afterwards... we can discuss dinner. Unless you want to accompany me."

"So Jenova's not your mother." The redhead was trying to read Sephiroth, but it seemed as always lately he was more focused on Genesis than himself. He doubted that the other man had taken the time to fully grasp the implications. It seemed that his job in this was to make sure that Sephiroth took care of himself. The fact that he himself was the one dying because of an experiment seemed to slip to the back of his mind. The similarities between the two men could be astonishing at times. So concerned about the other's welfare and state of mind over their own. Then again it could be easier to face someone else's problems than your own.

Sephiroth drew the used needle out and tossed it into a trash bin nearby. The mansion was still fully furnished, after all. He just wasn't sure if it was still stocked with non-perishables.

"Vincent… will not be joining us for dinner." He added faintly, unsure as to whether or not that bore saying.

"It seems then, as foolish as I was, we were lucky to find him." Genesis muttered a bit. Vincent might well be the key to curing him. Though trusting his continued existence to a person that had spent over twenty years wasting away in a coffin set him a bit on edge.

Slowly Genesis kissed Sephiroth again, it was a silent plea for the man to relax a bit. "Dinner with just you will be good. And I'll follow you back down. I at least owe Valentine a thank you."

Sephiroth did seem to relax a little when their lips met, even going so far as to briefly wrap an arm around Genesis' form to draw him flush against himself. However, he broke the kiss too quickly and pushed away, determined to deliver the blood and get the tests started.

"I am sure he will tell you it was no trouble." Sephiroth murmured faintly, thinking how quickly the other man had managed to find what they were looking for. "Dinner will be a surprise, since I do not know what all is still kept here for non-perishables. I apologize as we may end up with nothing any fancier than soup from cans."

There was an edge of shame in his voice that was hard to mask, as though he blamed himself for the state they were forced to remain in. He could have planned this entire situation a bit better and he knew that. He had allowed himself to grow too panicked and ended up rushing them out of Midgar without truly thinking of how he could provide for them while staying in Nibelheim. In fact, it just occurred to him that they had left without cleaning the apartment up. Something, if found, that might hasten an investigation into their whereabouts.

These and other thoughts like that plagued the General as they made their way down, so much so in fact that he hardly realized that they'd made it down there until his hip bumped into one of the lab tables and startled him out of his reverie. He stood stock still, looking around the lab with a faint trace of non-recognition before he finally remembered where they were.

He hated this place already for the way it left him off of his game entirely.

"This shouldn't take me too long." He promised as he set the vials of blood down and began searching through the manuals briefly on how to operate them.

Genesis let Sephiroth work, he knew better than to get in his way at this point, so instead he moved over to the form of Vincent Valentine, who was quietly sitting over in the corner. "Thank you." He uttered to the man as he stopped at his side. Genesis had started to hope before, but now he truly felt like he was going to live.

Vincent just glanced up at him barely and Genesis wasn't even sure if the man was breathing. "No more than I owe." was all he offered before turning back in on himself.

The redhead decided to leave it at that. The man was obviously used to being alone and pulling him out so suddenly wasn't a good idea, though he was almost as determined to get Vincent to leave the mansion as he was to get Sephiroth to leave Shinra. He owed the man that much.

Genesis didn't understand most of the equipment, but he knew the answer to his life rested there. Sending a silent prayer to Minerva he thanked her for this. It was a chance to be with the man he loved.

Soon the room came to life with the sounds of the machines running their tests and Sephiroth deposited the rest vials of blood into a cold storage container nearby. He would need them later to test the refined antidote on and keep an eye on them. Once he was finished, he turned to Vincent and studied the man a bit longer, seeming to decide whether or not he should say anything.

Ultimately, the Silver General decided that he would leave the pale man alone and reached for Genesis to take him back upstairs. He said nothing until they reached the kitchen and looked around. The place was still in relatively decent condition and, after a wipe down, he was sure they would be able to use it.

"You can look through the pantry, if you like, to see if there is anything left that we might be able to prepare a meal from. I need to slip outside and turn the electricity on for the rest of the mansion. I won't be long."

Genesis nodded and turned to actually _find _the pantry. It was an old house, about the size of the ones his parents owned. (Yet another reason the place put him on edge) and just like his parents house, it had too many doors.

Sephiroth's form swept through the kitchen swiftly and he exited through the kitchen door which led into the backyard. He returned several minutes later and slipped halfway through the door before reaching out to test the lights. There was a faint hissing sound, but then the lights suddenly came on and thankfully, nothing exploded. Satisfied, the Silver General stepped in fully and shut the door behind him, then moved around the place until he found a wash closet and could find some cleaning supplies.

As rich as ShinRa was, he wasn't surprised to find the place still fully stocked and left behind as though none of the materials within truly mattered. The staff that had dedicated themselves to keeping the mansion up to repair and clean for so long had put a lot of love into it, making sure to properly dispose of the most dangerous chemicals that could have caused problems to an abandoned home over the years. He found a pile of wash rags and a bucket, then proceeded to fill it with hot water and soap.

The domestic chores did little to deter Sephiroth's mood and thoughts, in fact, they helped him keep his mind off of darker things that still lurked at the edges of his mind.

Genesis was grateful for the task asked of him. It seemed that, since he had gotten sick, his usefulness had decreased quite a bit. Between not knowing anything about the lab equipment and Sephiroth terrified of him hurting himself, there hadn't been much for him to do. Not that the man was wrong to treat him like that with the way his shoulder ached.

Opening the door to the pantry, Genesis took stock of what was left. Not much being the fact. He took out a few cans. Definitely not a place that had been stocked with military rations. "We have corn, more corn," Genesis started rattling off. "Some peas and chicken broth, oh, and some carrots. All at least 10 years old." He glanced at the dates. He had eaten worse in the field, but if they were going to stay here much longer, they would have to go to the town for supplies. That should at least be something he could handle. Even if there were a few minor creatures between here and there.

He sat the cans out on the counter before digging around for a can opener and a cooking pot, happy when Sephiroth got the power back on. Normally heat wouldn't have been an issue, but he didn't trust himself with his materia at the moment and casting without right now would be too much of a strain, even if Sephiroth was one of the few people who knew that he could.

Genesis left the cooking to Sephiroth, knowing it was something he enjoyed and would likely help with the stress he was under. "I really do now think everything is going to be ok, Seph. I know I haven't told you that yet. But I do. With what you've found here, I've started to look forward to things again." Genesis confessed.

"I don't want to go back to Shinra." He blurted out, no time had seemed like a good one. And it needed to be brought up. "I've had a lot to think about and a lot put in perspective." He looked down as he talked. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I want to find some place. Just us and forget about the damn war and SOLDIER. I just want to be with you." Genesis stood tense a bit afterwards. Hoping for the best and fearing the worst.

Sephiroth found himself staring at Genesis with a blank, unreadable expression. He could hear the words repeated in his mind much louder than he had actually heard them as they fell from Genesis's lips. He listened to them over and over, but no matter which way he looked at it, it had been clear as day. Genesis was asking him to turn his back on the company and leave his life behind, in order to... to what? Settle down somewhere into a quiet life?

"I..." He started softly, sounding a bit distant as the shock forced all other thoughts clear from his mind. If it weren't for the weight of those words, he might have been grateful to Genesis for doing what he had been trying to do all day.

"You want me to betray... too..." Sephiroth blinked, then slowly set the soiled rag back down over the edge of the bucket he had been using. "I can understand why you wouldn't want to... after everything that has happened... what we have learned..."

For once in his life, the Silver General looked lost and conflicted. This was too much to deal with. He just wanted Genesis to be cured, he would have endured whatever punishment they might have dished out to him for staying away for so long, however. No... he hadn't thought this through clearly enough, had he? They would label them both A.W.O.L. and then what?

The realization of what he had just done seemed to wash over Sephiroth as he tilted his head back and offered a look that had no place on the man's face. Fear. His entire world was crashing down around his feet! What was he supposed to do now?!

"Gen..." he whispered hoarsely, sounding confused and a touch frightened.

This was too much, all too much at once! He exhaled shakily and closed his eyes, grasping at the strands that were hair-thin and threatening to break. How could he have not seen this coming? What was he expecting when he had chosen this course? Was this what love did to a person? Turn them into a walking idiot, into someone that made mistake after terrible, simple mistake until they were left in ruins? It was horrifying to think that he had been reduced to this! And yet... even as part of him was disgusted with this obvious failure, he could not bring himself to hate Genesis. Far from it, in fact. He knew there was likely nothing to be left for him back in ShinRa, not after what he had done. Genesis was the only thing he had left. He knew he had to hold onto that, but that did not make this revelation any less terrifying.

Genesis nearly froze himself as doubt started to pour over his mind. Sephiroth looked terrified at the idea and Sephiroth was never terrified. Had he truly done the right thing dragging the man he loved into this? He needed to act, and fast, but this was something he certainly wasn't prepared for.

"Not betray." Genesis started, voice low and tight. _No more than they have us anyway_, the redhead thought. "Retire is more like it. We have plenty of money to support ourselves until we're 200." He was trying to piece together something that sounded appealing. "Settle down, stay out of Shinra's politics. Find something to keep us busy. They won't be very happy with us as it is anyway."

Genesis sighed before wrapping his arms around Sephiroth. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have mentioned it. But I really thought I was dead. I don't think I could face another battlefield. The thought of leaving you behind. I know it's a coward's thought, but it's how I feel."

Sephiroth closed his eyes and forced all emotion back into the pit of his stomach so he could take the next few moments to think clearly. It was a difficult task, but he had had enough practice with things like this and, as that smooth mask covered his features once more, he leveled his gaze on Genesis. At least he was not losing his mind. So far.

The ginger rested his head on Sephiroth's shoulder. "I love you, I really do. I would follow you anywhere. Especially now, I literally owe you my life. Not that you don't have it before basically. If you want to find a way for them to take us back, I'll follow. I just..." Genesis closed his eyes. "I love you."

"We can discuss this in detail after I've cured you, alright? I erred gravely when I planned this out so recklessly without truly thinking things through. I will deal with the consequences of that later. Right now, I need to stay focused on your cure." Sephiroth managed to force out as he leaned into his lover.

He lifted his arms to wrap around Genesis and hugged him tightly, "I appreciate knowing you would follow me back, if I chose to go. But I fear, with my actions, we would be handing ourselves over for execution or at least an attempt at it." Never mind the fact that he had to deal with the knowledge of what Hojo and Hollander had done to them and that that had ultimately affected his decision.

Sephiroth dipped his head to press a kiss to the crown of Genesis' head, then pushed away to eye the various cans.

"It looks like vegetable soup is on the menu tonight. We can go into town in the morning and get a few groceries."

Genesis nodded and let the subject close. Everything was obviously weighing heavily on Sephiroth, much more than Genesis could even know and he'd gotten as good as a yes out of the man as it was. The ginger could also appreciate the desire to focus on his cure, because without it, none of this talk would be necessary. He regretted disturbing his lover the way he had and the reaction that followed, but he wasn't sad that the topic was out.

"I can head down to the village in the morning. Something I should be able to handle." Genesis offered. Sitting around another day with all those books with horrible information was not a pleasant idea.

He opened the cans one by one and handed them to Sephiroth as he went, mind still thinking things over, planning what to do after the cure was found. It would be a good thing for him to focus on. Something to keep his mind busy, even if it had been slipping lately.

Sephiroth inspected each can thoroughly before dumping the contents into a saucepan, then added water. He had forgone using the chicken broth, since it was well past its expiration date, though he would have liked to add it, knowing it would help the soup.

Instead, he nosed around the kitchen until he found a cupboard filled with spices, which produced a pleasantly surprised sound from the General's lips. He immediately tugged down several bottles that he knew would complement the vegetables and turned to begin adding them.

Perhaps their dinner wouldn't end in disaster after all.

"That sounds fine. There was a truck sitting out in front of the mansion, you might see if you can't get it started. I doubt you would want to walk all the way down and bring up several bags on your own."

"I can check the truck." Genesis acknowledged. The hardest part of this whole experience was acknowledging his limits. Walking back and forth from town would be nothing normally, but risking something to happen? It wasn't worth it. Plus, Sephiroth had enough to worry about. If taking a vehicle made him feel better, Genesis would do it.

He watched as Sephiroth made the soup and, when it was finished, he took a bowl for himself. Only his lover could make something that tasted like this from supplies found in an abandoned mansion. "It's good." Genesis acknowledged as he ate.

"It is passable." Sephiroth replied in return.

He had honestly been disappointed, but there was not much one could do with abandoned canned goods in a place they had no business being in. Ah well. He was certain giving up a few cans of old vegetables was the least Shinra could do, to repay them for all of the shit they had been put through. It was not as if enhanced SOLDIERs of the company could have easily gotten sick with something like food poisoning.


	6. Affirmation

This chapter does contain a lemon, fair warning. Either way we hope you enjoy and please leave a review. It helps the plot bunnies.- DHT and darksargonas.

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There was a lot on his mind, but he pushed it aside. Sitting close to Sephiroth, he leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Is there anything else you need to do this evening?" He asked. "You said the tests would take until morning."

Sephiroth ate slowly, seemingly distracted as his gaze settled on the table for the longest time, rather than lift to meet Genesis. It wasn't until he felt that kiss that he stirred from his thoughts to offer his lover a small smile.

"Just a shower for myself, I think." Was all he murmured before finishing his bowl of soup.

Genesis half suspected that Sephiroth would have something else planned, but he pushed that thought away too. "Some time to slow down for the evening would be good. Enjoy you a bit more." He didn't want to tack on 'in case this doesn't work out.' he didn't want to worry his lover. The ginger really did think he would live now.

"I restored power to the mansion, we might be able to get a TV working if we want to try. Otherwise..." He shrugged. It was an uncharacteristic motion, but there was much about him that was strange ever since he stepped foot into the mansion.

"I imagine a lot of rest. Anything you like really, Gen."

Genesis wrapped his arms around Sephiroth, resting his head on the man's shoulder. "Rest is good." The redhead acknowledged, but it wasn't what he wanted to say. Since he had told Sephiroth of his condition, their relationship had lacked intimacy. He loved spending time with the other man, but he did miss the sex. It made him feel good and connected to the man he was currently hugging.

It was a silly thought to have when he was dying he, knew. Much like the concern for what to do after this was finished. The desire still went unsaid and Genesis leaned up, kissing Sephiroth, passion for the other man flowing through him. They would have time for such thoughts when Genesis was better._ But what if I don't get better? _Nasty doubts still swam through his head and he pushed them down, doing his best to deepen the kiss.

Sephiroth wouldn't fail. He had what he needed, the man was brilliant and Genesis knew he would succeed.

Sephiroth returned the kiss deeply, his own desires flaring momentarily. He sorely missed Genesis, ached for him in ways he never imagined he could ache. And their intimacy had started to grow farther and farther apart between moments as the other man had discovered his ailment.

Of course Sephiroth hadn't understood why at the time, but knowing now... well, he didn't blame Genesis for pulling away. Especially if the act was painful.

"Let's go upstairs, hm? Why don't you get ready for bed, I will take a shower and we can spend the rest of the time watching TV, or simply laying there. Honestly... I have missed you. Even if these next few days, even weeks, perhaps, will be tense... I just... I want to enjoy the time we have together."

"I do too." Genesis acknowledged, following Sephiroth to the room they had selected to stay in. He hadn't even bothered to put his coat back on earlier. Taking a seat on the bed, he left things to go from there._ I will take a shower._ There were days when Genesis would have climbed in after him without a second thought. Now however...

The love was still there, Genesis didn't question that, not even for a moment. But even the best men had doubts. Genesis's body was ugly with degradation and the question of whether or not Sephiroth even found him sexual appealing at the moment was there. Everything would be alright once he was cured however, he was sure.

And then there was the fact that, even if Sephiroth wanted him, sex was physically taxing. If the incident with the door had taught him anything, it was that he wouldn't be able to handle his lover entering him at the moment. The silver general left him sore at the best of times. Normally it was something easy to brush off as a SOLDIER, but now, not so much.

This whole mansion just depressed him, even if it was the home of his cure. The books he read earlier still weighed heavily on his mind and the look of terror on Sephiroth's face when he had mentioned not returning to Shinra still haunted him, too. Sephiroth truly hadn't fathomed what he'd done, what he'd given up for Genesis until that moment. There was the possibility he didn't think it was worth it. Shinra was all his lover had ever known and Genesis was just a dying man.

With a bit of a stretch he laid out on the bed. He had taken a nap earlier and thus wasn't too terribly tired at the moment. But TV had no appeal to him and there simply wasn't much else to do. His mind was proving too dangerous even when he could think clearly.

Sephiroth was habitually swift with his shower, as any man born and bred in the military could be, even with his massive mane of silver hair. He was in and out in ten minutes, drying his hair with a towel as he slipped out stark naked into the bedroom.

His gaze fell on Genesis' form and he studied him for several moments in silence before bothering to speak up.

"You shouldn't dwell on dark thoughts in this place." He murmured, then moved to toss the towel over a chair before settling down on to the edge of the bed.

"Nightmares come too easily here and you need rest." He glanced at the TV and noted that it wasn't on.

Reaching for the remote, he tested it and furrowed a brow when it came on, but didn't bother trying to find anything to watch just yet. Instead, he tossed it closer to the inside of the bed and slipped up onto the blankets and mattress more evenly before turning to look at his lover.

"Can we talk?" Sephiroth finally spoke.

Genesis rolled over to face Sephiroth, trying to hide the dark thoughts on his mind, but he knew that his lover could see right through them. It was a side effect of letting someone so close. "What do you want to talk about?" He asked, trying to add a bit of energy to his voice. "We can speak about anything you want, love." Genesis ran his hand through Sephiroth's hair as he spoke, truly treasuring everything. It was true ,he probably did need to rest, but rest lead to idle thoughts and that was the last thing he needed right now.

"I..." Sephiroth started off and blinked, then frowned. "I didn't get that far in my thought process."

It was a rare confession, but it was true. The situation was almost comical with the way he sat there, leaning forward into Gen's hand like a cat seeking pettings, yet still frowning.

"...Ah... what... would... you want to do, if we left?" He asked slowly, venturing back to the topic that had previously set him off.

It would be a distraction and, if they could figure out what they might do together if things led to them leaving ShinRa, he might be able to rest a bit easier on the subject. Defecting was not an easy thing for him to swallow, even if his mind had already been weighing the options. There had been so many questions he had posed to himself, the most important being 'why' ShinRa would allow something like this to happen in the first place. Calling into question his own loyalties made him uneasy, and given the recent amount of stress he had just been put through, he found he did not want to add this to the pile. Not yet.

Genesis offered Sephiroth a small smile. "I'd thought a tiny bit about it." He offered, hands still working his lover's hair. "Thought we might find a place out of the way. Settle down just the two of us. Find a hobby to pass the time." Genesis rattled off, before placing a kiss on Sephiroth's lips.

"I would like to plant some dumbapple trees wherever we end up. The only thing from home I care to remember. But other than that, the sky's open." The ginger smiled a bit as he spoke of the one thing outside of Angeal he cherished from his childhood.

"Honestly though, I just want to be with you. I want the chance to grow old with you." Genesis buried his head into Sephiroth's chest, taking in the smell of the soap the man had used to clean himself. "Something to look forward to. To live for. It's all I want."

"You will have it." Sephiroth whispered softly, lifting a hand to brush his fingers through Gen's hair slowly before dipping his head to kiss the crown of red hair. "I promise I will give you that chance."

There was no room for failure. The alternative would leave him without Genesis and a marked traitor to the company. He didn't want to think of what might happen to him should this prove to be a fruitless endeavor. ShinRa itself was not a threat to him, but his own state of mind afterwards... It was far too painful to dwell on.

"I love you. I miss you." He sighed softly, closing his eyes as he spoke.

"I miss you too." Genesis acknowledged, thinking that he had picked up on his lover's meaning. At least he hoped that he did. It could have been wishful thinking. Doubts were horrible things, even when they had nothing substantial to cling too.

"I love you too." The words fell from his lips and he gave an honest smile. Just having Sephiroth look at him like that made him feel a bit better. "I'll be glad when this is over and we can leave this horrible mansion behind."

Sephiroth longed to take the ginger in his arms and make love to him, but, though the desire was still there, he simply couldn't bring himself to push things into that direction, not without prompting from the other man first. He was afraid of hurting his lover while the other man was in such a delicate state, there was no telling what kind of injuries Genesis might suffer and Sephiroth was unwilling to risk it. But he could at least voice how much he still wanted him and hope that that might help his lover cope.

Genesis barely had registered the TV as he curled himself into Sephiroth, content for now to just cling to the man. He held on tight to his hope and his plans for the future together with Sephiroth.

Sephiroth shifted, thinking to gather his clothes and at least put his pants back on, but when Genesis curled against him, all desire to move from the bed left. He would just have to settle for laying naked with the other man for the rest of the evening. Though he did take a moment to shift and arch himself up to tug the blankets out from beneath himself so he could slip in and keep warm.

The TV was nothing more than background noise. As far as he was concerned, Genesis was his main focus. He brushed his fingers through Gen's hair, gazing into his beautiful blue eyes before dipping his head to kiss him slowly.

It was so difficult curbing his desire when every fiber of his being screamed at him to take Genesis into his arms and coax soft, pleasured sighs and moans from his lips. Anything to change the mood in the room.

"I do not know how much longer I can last." He murmured faintly into Gen's hair, his voice slightly muffled as he pressed several kisses there. The thought brought a faint chuckle to his lips, but he couldn't help it.

It was almost pathetic that, of all the concerns he could have dwelled on now, being able to make love to Genesis was on the top of the list. The constant war between keeping his discipline and worry over hurting the redhead and a desperate need to lose himself in him was taxing.

The ginger pulled his lover into a kiss at the words. "Truthfully, I don't want you to." Genesis offered as he pulled away, his heart tightening in his chest. The words of desire quelled some of his small fears. "I want you too, I just..." The redhead wasn't sure how to put his concerns into words that wouldn't turn his lover away.

"I'm not in the best of health now," Genesis started gently. "But there are other things we can do. I'm not a porcelain doll." His tone was more reassuring than biting as he spoke before sitting up enough to pull his own shirt up and tossing it to the floor. He knew that he was not at his best physically in appearance, but he wanted to be close to the other man as he moved back into his arms.

He pulled Sephiroth into another kiss, letting his desire for the other man shine through. "There are ways to make use of our time."

Sephiroth couldn't even begin to find the bruised and thinner form Genesis provided for him as distasteful. His love for the redhead was beyond that by this point. He leaned into the kiss slowly, careful not to let his excitement draw this attempt to a quick close.

"Yes... I know." He murmured faintly, lifting a hand to stroke the backs of his fingers down Genesis' cheek, "I simply didn't want to force the issue on you, in case you didn't... really feel like it."

He leaned back down to press another kiss to Genesis' lips before pushing him gently onto his back to dress his form with soft, slow kisses. He wanted to see his lover at full health once more, but for now, he could do his best to be as careful and gentle as possible, even if the other man had insisted that he wasn't made of porcelain.

"Why don't you lay back and let me take care of you, hm?"

Genesis nodded as his stomach twisted in anticipation. He loved Sephiroth deeply. There was much more to their relationship than the physical side, but every time they became intimate it excited him. "Of course, love." The redhead replied with a smile relaxing and letting Sephiroth take complete control, a rarity given both their personalities. He trusted his lover more than himself to keep things gentle at the moment, especially with his poor judgment calls recently.

He closed his eyes, a smile on his face, running a hand down his own chest. It had taken them both a lot to get to the point they were now. But Genesis knew that he wouldn't have gotten through this if he hadn't trusted Sephiroth so completely. Likely, by now he'd be dead and rotting in Wutai if he hadn't gone to his lover for help.

"I love you." He whispered again reassuringly as his eyes fluttered back into anxiously watching his lover work.

Love... still such a new and strange concept to him. But he was certain that what he felt for Genesis had to be it. Why else would he have gone through so much trouble just to save the other man?

"I... love you, too." He whispered softly as he trailed his kisses down along Gen's stomach and navel.

He was already tugging at Genesis' pants, unfastening them and drawing them down over the red-head's hips until his length was exposed. His fingers danced playfully along the other man's skin, avoiding that sensitive flesh for the moment as he pressed his lips to each thigh, then nibbled and suckled gently at the skin there.

Sephiroth was forcing himself to take things slowly. To be as gentle as possible, and so far, he was enjoying the chance to truly appreciate his lover's form, even as bruised and damaged as it was.

There were people out there, most of the general public included, that would never believe that Sephiroth could be tender, gentle and loving. Those people were fools, Genesis knew as his lover caressed his body.

A slight moan left his lips at a particularly pleasing tug of flesh and, despite the pain of degradation, Genesis felt amazing. He buried his hands in his lover's hair. "Mhmm… that feels wonderful." He spoke, trying to encourage Sephiroth to continue.

A lover's touch sorely missed. This was what both of them needed to chase away the nightmares this place brought about, Genesis was certain.

Sephiroth looked up and smiled at Genesis for a few moments before turning his attention back to his lover's form. His hands caressed up and down every inch of the ginger's body, tracing fingers along his stomach slowly, reverently while he layed his head on one leg.

Eventually, he pushed his fingers into the soft curls above Gen's length and teasingly stroked around the base of his cock. He eyed the hardening flesh with amusement and a touch of desire. Slender digits pushed that length up flush against Genesis' stomach while he traced the veins along the underside of that sensitive flesh, all the way up to the head. Taking two fingers, he pinched it gently, playfully, then dipped his head forward to press a kiss to the thick side.

"Seph..." Genesis moaned as the other man played with his erection and gave a slight involuntary thrust of his hips. Normally his member didn't get much more attention than someone's hands, his ass and mouth being the star of their lovemaking. This was exquisite, to feel Sephiroth down there pinching and kissing.

His head rolled back a bit as he arched his back slightly, doing his best just to feel. "Yes." He hissed as his lover continued to work him, his spirits lifting. The thought that Sephiroth might not want him like this had been a hard thought to chase away.

The heat and pleasure from the other man was nearly overwhelming when he'd been in nothing but pain for so long and his eyes slide closed, hands twisted in the sheets, a smile across his beautiful face.

Sephiroth could only reply with a heated chuckle, teasing his lips up and down that flushed length before finally giving in. It wasn't very often that he indulged in these sorts of favors and he was beginning to realize how much he might miss if he let much more slip between his fingers.

It was because of this fear that Sephiroth found himself enjoying the time he was taking in exploring his lover in a new light. He wrapped his lips around Genesis' length and pushed down, taking every inch he could and suckling. The warmth of that flesh, coupled with the faint musk of his lover, had Sephiroth bobbing his head up and down in no time.

This was more than a simple act of pleasuring Genesis for the former General. He felt the need to show the other man just how much he meant to him and planned to do so in a way that would shock the ginger completely. It had been a surprisingly difficult decision, but, given the situation, he knew that showing Genesis how much he meant to him was far more important. Besides, what he had in store would not strain the ginger nearly as much.

Genesis let out a strangled cry of pleasure as Sephiroth took all of him into his mouth. His hands went to the sheets out of desire not to pull his lover's hair. "Seph...!" He cried again. He tried to thrust again into his lover's mouth, but he was securely pinned.

"Don't stop." Spilled from his lips, certain that his completion was going to come from Sephiroth's current manipulation of his body, selfishly trying to hold it off as long as possible.

He closed his eyes, trying to control himself, glad for his willpower. "I love you." He muttered huskily, doing his best to imprint the image of Sephiroth as he looked right now into his mind for the rest of eternity.

The silver-haired SOLDIER wasn't inclined to stop any time soon, though he did lift a hand to squeeze around the base of his lover's cock to keep him from spilling his seed too soon. After pleasuring him for several more moments, Sephiroth sighed as he popped off of Genesis' length and cast his gaze towards the suitcase and bathroom.

His expression was thoughtful, as though he were attempting to place something. His hand idly stroked Gen's length slowly, keeping that firmness before he finally slid off of the bed and padded back towards the bathroom.

Sephiroth reappeared moments later with a bottle and slid back onto the bed, spreading his legs as he walked on his knees to straddle Genesis. When the other man gave him a curious look, he merely smirked without saying anything.

Genesis took a moment to just breath as Sephiroth stepped away from him. He was confused, but didn't trust himself to speak at the moment as he watched Sephiroth retrieving the bottle. "I didn't think...I don't know that I can..." He wouldn't refuse his lover, but the idea of penetration right now made him nervous. Sephiroth was not a small man and this was something Genesis normally enjoyed immensely.

He still however offered his lover a small smile as the man slipped back into bed, expecting to feel Sephiroth's long slender fingers with in him. The thought of what the man was actually doing seemed so impossible an idea that it had never crossed his mind before.

Popping the cap off of the bottle, Sephiroth squeezed a bit of the liquid out onto his fingers, then, alarmingly, his fingers did not head for Genesis' ass, but instead his own. Swiftly, the General penetrated himself, offering a rather amusing expression as he adjusted to the strange feeling of fingering himself before he began to work. This was taking an alarming amount of courage on his part by now, but he was determined to experience something new with the man he loved.

As the redhead watched the path of Sephiroth's fingers however, he was nearly shocked at the other man's actions. _He can't be_ was the one thought to flash across his mind. But it was true. Silver hair swayed as his lover penetrated himself with his fingers, preparing himself for entry. All Genesis could do was watch.

Even then as he finished and pulled his hands free, all Genesis could do was look up at the man. "Sephiroth?" He muttered, voice full of emotion. There was a tone of "Are you sure?" Never in their five years had Sephiroth even acknowledged that this could be a possibility.

However, as the man slid himself down, impaling himself on Genesis, he could still barely believe it as he cried out. The redhead had been a complete virgin before his relationship with Sephiroth and thus had never known the sensation of his cock being buried in anything, save the occasional dip between the silver-haired man's lips. There was bliss and a pleasure unknown spreading through him as his mind went blank again. All he could do was feel.

It was the oddest sensation and not wholly uncomfortable. At least not nearly as much as Sephiroth had thought it might be. He tensed around Genesis' cock as he settled down onto him, bracing a hand down on the bed sheets beside his lover's torso. He wasn't in the mood to speak right now, his mind far away, concentrating on the task at hand.

Once settled, it was a matter of getting the nerves to move and, before long, he was experimenting with a subtle lifting of hips, focusing on the feel of Genesis' length and how it did -things- to him inside. An exhale passed through his lips as he realized that the sensation was actually pleasant. Once you got passed the whole 'another man's dick is up my ass' issue. But this was Genesis and it was different. He knew that the other man loved him.

And he could see the way pleasure drifted across Genesis' features through every subtle movement. It spurned Sephiroth on. Desire slowly began to fill him once more and he tilted his head back, letting his eyes drift close. Hips rocked carefully, ever aware that he was straddling the ginger and couldn't get too rough. It was a hard urge to repress, especially when every nerve in his body was demanding he take it faster and harder.

But this pace felt amazing all its own and right now he was discovering just how unbelievable it felt to have ones prostate caressed over and over. Was it ever any wonder Genesis always got so loud when they did this?

The slow motions were near torture and Genesis wanted nothing more than to thrust his hips deeper into Sephiroth's heat. He never imagined that it would feel like this, feel this good. He shouted his lover's name as he grabbed a hold of the other man's hips. A slow pace had always been maddening for him. He enjoyed the fast paced encounters they had, but knew he could not handle it at the moment.

Knowing how the other man felt, knowing what this was to Sephiroth made it even more pleasurable. Definitely an experience I'm glad I had before dying whether it be tomorrow or 50 years from now. It was a rather coherent thought for him he imagined.

He dared to look up back up at Sephiroth and noticed the pleasured look he had with a smile. The fact that his lover was enjoying this made the experience all the better. How much pleasure you could receive simply by being filled by another man had seemed to be Genesis's best kept secret, but he wasn't upset in the least by Sephiroth's discovery of this fact.

Sephiroth leaned forward as his hips rocked slowly, grinding his length into Gen's stomach while offering his lips in a heated kiss. The sensation of his lover's length sliding in and out was slowly beginning to consume him.

Carefully, he drew the pace up, just enough to spur the other SOLDIER into finding his release, rocking against him as gently as he could. His lips caressed Gen's first, then trailed down his chin and across his jaw until he was toying with the earring that dangled from one ear with his tongue.

The sounds of pleasure falling from his lover's lips were enough for him, knowing that he could still bring him some comfort despite the dismal situation.

Genesis was not a quiet lover to begin with and his cries of pleasure were likely filling the old house. Sephiroth's heat was intoxicating and, as the rhythm increased, he couldn't help it. With an involuntary thrust upward Genesis filled his lover with his seed as the man continued to ride him.

"Sephiroth!" He muttered again as his vision blurred and his body shook. It was one of the best orgasms he'd ever had and not just because it was the first time he'd been actually buried in Sephiroth. The love involved with the act added just as much to his enjoyment.

With a breathless sigh he collapsed back into the bed, taking a bit of Sephiroth's long silver hair into his hands. His body felt loose and he was very tired from the activity, but a feeling o contentment flowed over his body, hiding away all his aches and pains.

Sephiroth shivered faintly at the sensation and held himself still while Genesis emptied into him. He took his lips into a deep kiss before slowly pulling off of the man to settle down beside him. His own erection was still quite insistent as it brushed up against the ginger's leg, but he wasn't concerned with finding his own release.

"Shh..." He whispered softly, bumping his nose against Gen's jaw, then turned to kiss it. "Time for sleep."

Under normal circumstances Genesis was would never have allowed things to end with Sephiroth still wanting, but he was very tired and hadn't even noticed Sephiroth was still erect, even as it brushed his leg, his own appendage was almost too numb by now for it to truly register. "Alright." He mumbled almost as he curled into his silver haired lover. This was what he wanted, this is where he wanted to be.

A smile on his face, Genesis curled up to sleep.


	7. Cure

Sorry this is late, I (DHT) had a blonde moment. Now on to our regularly scheduled program. Please leave a review. Responses really do help, lets us know people like what they are reading and not just clicking on it and running away.

* * *

The next morning would find Genesis alone in bed, though there was a neatly written note left on the nightstand nearby that told the redhead where the Silver General had gotten off to.

_I have returned to the lab to check on the blood tests. I checked the engine on the truck, it works. The oil has been changed and there appears to be enough gas in __the tank__ to get you to town. -S_

Sephiroth himself had been up for a good few hours and was currently sitting over a computer monitor, checking the connections of the internet nearby. It was shoddy at best, attempting to get a clear signal, but he had managed to connect to something. And he was now doing a bit more research after encrypting the computer's location.

He simply could not risk anything leading back to them too soon. And he knew he would have at least a week before ShinRa would be expecting them to disembark from the boat in Wutai.

When Genesis finally woke up, he was sad to see Sephiroth gone, but he knew that the man had gone to work on his cure, especially after he read the note. Slowly, he got dressed. A soreness had settled in stronger than before and over all he felt just not right. Even still, it was the most content the redhead had been in weeks. He slipped his red coat on, leaving Rapier behind. It wasn't something he liked to do, but his judgment had been too poor lately for him to risk heading into town armed, especially with as paranoid as the whole adventure had gotten him.

Deciding to grab a bite to eat in town, he scribbled his own note, leaving it on the kitchen table. He would have liked to go down and said his goodbyes, but he knew how his lover was likely buried in his work. With that he headed out the door.

Vincent sat calmly downstairs as Sephiroth descended, no sign that he'd ever moved. It was obvious that the equipment had functioned properly and Sephiroth had demanded nothing from him, so he sought to offer up nothing himself. He had spoken enough the day before really, divulged all the information he'd cared to at the moment.

As Sephiroth went to work Vincent stayed, watching. If he was needed again he would assist, but for now he felt an odd déjà-vu watching Luci's son work in much the same way he had watched her.

Sephiroth remained silent for a while, absorbed in his work. The sound of keys tapping under his fingers filled the air occasionally, followed with mouse clicks and the rare exhale that signaled faint frustration. After some time though, the Silver General pushed back against the table and drew his hands up to brush across his face.

He turned to regard Vincent, offering a thin-lipped smile that was anything but happy.

"Alright, I think I have an idea of what to do once we get those results. Can you do me a favor and draw some blood from me?"

He would have done it himself, except it would have been awkward and he would rather not contaminate the vials by accidently jarring things and forcing the blood to coagulate within the vial, rendering it useless.

"If you are unfamiliar with the process, I can talk you through it."

Vincent lifted his gaze to regard Sephiroth and simply nodded. It was a simple enough request. He moved to gather the items he would need silently. "Take a seat." was all that was offered. He waited for a moment for the man to do as he asked. He took Sephiroth's arm and prepared it. The gunman had a horrible bedside manner as he worked, but it was still far better than Hojo's.

When it was over, he capped the vials and sat them down before handing Sephiroth a bandage.

He didn't question what Sephiroth had found and doubted that he would really truly understand if he did. Instead he went back to monitoring the equipment.

Sephiroth rubbed his arm idly after bandaging it more out of habit then actual need and stared at the vials of blood that had just been taken from him. His mind was busy running over the details of every step he would have to take next. Overall, it would be a simple task, at least for him. And the rest would require waiting. And praying. A lot of praying.

And the General had never really truly considered himself a spiritual man.

His gaze fell to Vincent once more as he sighed, "If you don't mind, I will probably require your help with a few things in the next few hours or so. We have some more equipment to get set up and running once the blood tests for Genesis are finished."

His brow furrowed and he looked around the lab once more, then pushed away from his seat to start pulling out trays and tugged a pair of heavy microscopes out.

"I will not ask you to do anything too complicated, if you are worried. I just need you to look for certain things."

With that, he pulled out the laptop and set it down next to the microscopes, pointing to the screen, "More or less, when we start, we will want to look for a reaction like this. Anything else would mean the cells are not taking the 'antidote' properly and are still degrading."

Vincent looked over at Sephiroth and nodded. "I will help with what I can." He shifted and moved over to the other man and looked down at the microscope. It would be a long process he knew, but it was definitely a task he was up to.

* * *

Genesis pulled back up to the mansion with the truck. He was exhausted, more than he knew he should be, but at least he had been _useful. _That was more than what he'd been the last few days. There were several things in the back, though the town hadn't had a lot of supplies.

He had left his coat in the car, but Genesis had still been recognized. Under normal circumstances he would have been thrilled, but even if they were long gone by the time it got back to Shinra, it was still another lead in their trail. Over all though it hadn't been too horrible, he had easily been able to charge their supplies to the company. Their own personal Gil needed to be stretched as far as possible now.

Slowly he made his way in, carrying the items and putting them on the table. He heard some movement in one of the other rooms. "I'm back!" He called before heading back out to get the rest of the supplies.

Food mostly, but he'd also managed to pick up a few other odds and ends. Things they might need here and after they left. Soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and other hygienic supplies. A tent just in case and some bedrolls. They had enough for now, but if they were going to be on the move for some time, they'd need replacements and, with Shinra footing the bill one last time, Genesis decided to take advantage.

Sephiroth reappeared from a bathroom, drying his hands with a towel as he looked over at the bags placed on the table. His gaze fell on Genesis and he smiled a bit more warmly than he had in a few days. He could tell the other man was exhausted, but the red-head seemed genuinely happy to have been able to go out and do something.

There was a faint sense of guilt that washed over the silver General, but he knew that Genesis had to have been in a lot of pain. And with the odd judgment calls his lover had been making lately, he honestly felt as though he could not be blamed for the decision to try and keep Genesis' activities to a minimum.

"Truck ran smoothly?" He asked at first, then made his way to the table to start rifling through things.

He immediately tugged out refrigerated goods, getting them into the fridge before they got any warmer from the trip up. The rest he sorted out, making a mental note of what it looked like that Genesis would want to eat.

"If we can get it to run a bit better before our time is out here... I think it would behoove us just to take it."

Genesis moved closer to his lover and gave him a quick kiss before attempting to help put things away. "It ran alright. Never was much of a mechanic myself, but it got me to town and back alright. Road's a bit bumpy."

"I was recognized in town, by a few people actually." Genesis admitted as he put some things away. "But I managed to charge the supplies to Shinra's account. They won't know anything for at least another month though, I would imagine, accounting being as swamped as they always are during the middle of a month." Reaching things in outlying towns was always touch and go. Banora had been completely out of sync with Midgar.

"I did get something a little extra though." He had a small smile. "I couldn't believe they had it. Just one bottle." As he spoke, he pulled out a bottle of Banora Wine. "I want to save it, for now, to celebrate."

Sephiroth offered his lover a nod, listening to him as he spoke, and set out a few things from their groceries to prepare for lunch. Sandwiches would be simple and easy to deal with and he honestly didn't feel like cooking anything too extravagant at the moment.

"I think saving it would be a wonderful idea." He finally replied, offering Genesis a soft smile, then moved around the table to grab him up into a hug.

"Everything is in the processing stage right now. We should have an answer tonight, whether or not the right cells are present, compared to mine. And if that is the case, then the next step will simply be time consuming."

He dropped a kiss onto the redhead's lips, then pulled away to start making them lunch.

"The end of this week, love. I am confident. And even if ShinRa is tipped off by someone here in town after seeing you, we will likely be long gone before they can get someone out here to check things out."

"It shouldn't be a problem, no." The redhead acknowledged as he closed his eyes.

Genesis took a seat and watched. He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back, running his hands through his hair. "Less than a week." He smiled, less than a week and this nightmare would be over.

When Sephiroth finished the sandwiches Genesis took one and ate it slowly, enjoying his time. "I'm going to go lay down for a bit. Can you join me or do you need to go back down to the equipment?" The redhead asked before taking a sip of water.

Sephiroth paused, tilting his head as a thought crossed his mind, and smiled faintly from it. His gaze fell on Genesis and he offered a silent nod in response, at first. He cleaned up around the kitchen before allowing himself to settle down to eat, though this process wasn't uncommon for the SOLDIER. He had habits and rituals that were so ingrained in his personality it was impossible to outrun them.

"Vincent is looking over the data." He started, speaking softly as the man reclined into a chair, resting one hand on his leg, "He knows what to look for, what is needed. So, I do not suspect I will be needed any time soon, unless he comes across something unforeseen."

His lips twisted into a frown, having come across another thought that didn't sit well with him.

"He will not say much and yet is willing to help. But I find myself still feeling guilty, as though I were taking advantage of him somehow. It is strange. There are so many mysteries surrounding him. I would like to ask, to know why someone like him would willingly remain sealed away."

He looked over to Genesis, curious if the other man had any thoughts on their unlikely ally.

"His coffin did not look as though it was locked to keep him in. Unless I missed something?"

Genesis gave Sephiroth a thoughtful look. "I hadn't thought about it." The ginger seemed almost surprised at the idea. More and more things had been slipping by him. Sephiroth would fix him though and everything would be alright. He trusted in that fact.

"I didn't get a horribly good look at the coffin and I'm afraid going down and inspecting it might upset him. Like you said, he's willing to help, and there's just too much at stake to risk angering him." Genesis sighed as he spoke, running a hand through his hair.

Vincent was an odd one, but the (former) SOLDIER hadn't given the other man too much thought. Another of Hojo's experiments. Someone else whose life had been ruined by Shinra's scientists. Though there was a bit of kinship there, he supposed. Something to explore when things were over and he was cured. The man seemed content to guard his secrets and this was one instance where Genesis hadn't been willing to pry.

"I think we're both missing something." The redhead finally offered. "I trust him because it's obvious that he's been harmed by the Science Department. And really because we don't have much of a choice." Genesis leaned back in his chair a bit, looking at the ceiling. "If you want to ask him why he chose to spend 20 some years in a coffin, then we can, but you'd better make sure you want to hear the answer."

"That is a road we might pursue once we are out of this place and you are well on your way to recovery." Sephiroth replied softly, finishing off his meal.

He pushed to his feet moments after, then held a hand out for Genesis to take. When the redhead accepted it, he brought his lover to his feet and led him out of the kitchen. Wandering through a mansion this large and empty was always a bit haunting. And though he was someone that was used to being alone, for the most part, even he was affected by the disparaging atmosphere the lonely home offered.

"Up to bed, I suppose. I will try to relax. I know you are probably growing uneasy with the intensity of my work. I do not mean to ignore you or belittle you in any way during this, I hope you understand. I simply cannot lose you, Gen. Not now, and especially not after I have essentially shot myself in the foot.

My career was... all I had. But I admit, you have given me something a bit more desirable to look forward to."

He paused, then turned to look at Genesis, his brow furrowing in the process.

"In you, I found the best way to challenge myself, to grow even stronger. Honestly, Genesis, you are the only thing from that place that I value. And since you are mine, I have no reason to return. We could easily do whatever we want together, become anything. Or choose to do nothing. In the end, it will matter little to me.

But I must have you. I would not survive without you now."

Genesis had easily followed Sephiroth, listening to the other man speaking. The ginger was about to reply that he understood what Sephiroth was doing. For him not to worry, when his lover changed the course of the conversation slightly and left Genesis speechless. He just stood and stared at Sephiroth for a moment before he threw his arms around the other man.

"Seph!" The redhead whispered, burying his head in the other's chest. To be told so unabashedly how much the other man needed him was truly overwhelming, especially considering the source. "I need you too, more than anything." Genesis acknowledged.

"Together." He swallowed hard. He couldn't leave this man now, not for any reason. Degradation be damned. "We will be." The ginger threaded his hand into Sephiroth's. "I don't care what we do either." Genesis tilted his head up and captured the other man's lips with his own.

The other man leaned over to return the kiss, lingering just a bit until he had to pull away for a breath. He looked strangely content as he lifted a hand to thread his fingers through Genesis' hair, echoing his lover's touch. He bumped their heads together gently, then pulled away to lead him into the bedroom.

"Come on, time for you to relax." He murmured faintly.

There wasn't much left for all of them to do but waiting, a process that would leave Sephiroth both uneasy and distracted for the rest of the week. He supposed that, if there was nothing more there to keep him occupied, he might have lost his mind to boredom, but at least with Genesis, even in his current state, they could talk.

"I think we should discuss where we might like to head, when we are finished here." Sephiroth murmured softly, glancing over to the red head.

Genesis nodded in response before continuing the trek to the bedroom. "I have given it some thought." The redhead acknowledged as they entered the room. Truthfully it had been one of the few things he'd been able to dwell on. The ginger sprawled out on the bed, muscles still tired and sore from the day. His gaze fell on the ceiling as he continued talking. "I'd like, I think, to go some place away from everyone. At least for a while. Maybe some place we can grow some Dumbapple trees, but finding someplace with the right soil would be hard."

Genesis let out another sigh. "I'd like to find something to do. Sitting idly by doesn't suit either one of us really. But what that is I don't know. I mean my knowledge base is war, materia, Dumbapples and poetry. Kind of an odd set of skills to piece a new life together with."

The redhead let out a small laugh as he rolled over onto his stomach. "I had thought about travelling for a while, but we've already seen the world. Finding a place to make our own seems more appealing to me."

Sephiroth nodded faintly as he kicked off his shoes and settled down onto the edge of the bed. His hands splayed across the comforter, pushing back until he was leaning most of his weight on them while his gaze slid from object to object in the bedroom.

"Somewhere out in the country? Away from people..." Sephiroth murmured, echoing those words as his mind drifted.

"Civilian life seems so boring in comparison, but there is a certain sense of challenge from living outside of the comforts of a city or town that has an appeal to me. I suppose that, if I were ever forced to retire, I might have chosen just such a place." He continued to say, then collapsed back and laid his head gently along Genesis' thigh.

"We both know next to nothing about farming, or so I assume in my case the most. But perhaps we could get a start in researching something? If nothing else, it will be an entertaining endeavor for us."

Genesis rolled over on his side to look at Sephiroth, careful of the man's head on his thigh, a small smile gracing his lips. "If you tell anyone I admitted this, I'll deny it. But I do know a bit about farm life. We grew more than Dumbapples back in Banora." The redhead reached over and started to idly play with his lover's long silver hair. "It is a lot of hard work, but eating something you grew yourself can be rather satisfying." In another life Genesis might have gloated about the fact he obviously knew more about something than Sephiroth.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Genesis took in a deep breath, letting his mind wander a bit. If you'd told him six months ago, that the perfect life he'd be envisioning today involved working his butt off running a farm in the middle of nowhere with Sephiroth, he would likely have set you on fire. Now however there wasn't anything else he wanted to do.

"A nice old house, some fences, gardening equipment, seeds, water, we'd really be set." The ginger's smile widened as he opened his eyes, hands still threaded through silver silken locks. Though the mental image of Sephiroth in work overhauls caused another small laugh to escape his lips.

"Fair bit of hunting too, making sure the local predators stay away from any live stock we might have." Another content sigh left the gingers lips, before his hand fell from Sephiroth's hair and he rolled back onto his back."I think you'd enjoy it, I really do."

"I am sure there is more to it than that." Sephiroth replied softly, turning his head just enough to catch the redhead's gaze before looking away.

"Old house. Anything we might find like that would be expensive, unless it had been abandoned for one reason or another. And even then, a situation like that would prove to have a whole new set of problems to go with it."

He fell silent for several moments, then lay down and rested his head lightly against Genesis' legs.

"The challenge alone would not have been enough to draw me to such a mediocre life, especially something as ludicrous as becoming a farmer. However, my choices are limited. Especially since I refuse to leave you now." A ghost of a smile crossed his lips as he turned his head and closed his eyes. "I suspect, between every other project we might pick up just to survive, I will be doing quite a bit of hunting just to keep myself entertained."

A soft sigh left Genesis lips as he let his eyes slide close. "We can worry about the details when we find a place." He muttered, voice already a bit heavy with exhaustion. It wasn't too long before he went completely silent. Sleep had found him quickly that night.

As the sun rose the next day, Genesis awoke to find he was sore and stiff, elegant black wing stretched out on the bed, surrounded by feathers. Sephiroth had already arisen and was likely down stairs in the lab. The dedication the man had was touching. Never in his life had Genesis felt so loved. But it didn't change the fact that he was obviously getting worse.

He picked up one of the feathers and examined it for the first time. Despite Sephiroth's opinion on the matter he was pretty sure humans were not supposed to have wings. So if he wasn't human, and he wasn't a damn bird, that didn't leave many other things he could be. Angels and monsters were all that were left and he was no angel.

Genesis tried to move, to stand to break these horrible thoughts, but his body protested the strain and all he could do was fall back into the sheets. The haze over his mind was thick and he tried to focus on something other than his wing and his illness, but it was hard when those very things seemed to have confined him to bed. Even Loveless couldn't get his attention.

The possible cure Sephiroth had told him about was the only thing keeping him from 'giving in' so to speak. Genesis tried to think of the life they would have after this was over, but all that his mind would supply were images of what was going to happen to his lover when he died. The idea of Sephiroth out in the world, alone, no one to turn to made him sick. The man barely knew how things outside Shinra truly worked and not for the first time Genesis found himself questioning his actions and dragging his love into this. At the moment going off and dying quietly in Wutai sounded like the better option.

Sephiroth emerged from the basement a little later than he'd meant for lunch. He hadn't realized how late it had gotten because he'd been expecting Genesis to make his way down to the lab at some point during the morning. When the clock rolled around to 3 Vincent had poked him on the shoulder offering to watch the equipment while Sephiroth got some lunch. A concerned look crossed the silver haired man's face and he nodded, simply making his way upstairs more worried about the missing ginger then his own sustenance at the moment.

"Genesis." He called out throughout the house, checking for his lover in various places. He pushed down the panic that was starting to rise again. Mostly with anger at himself for feeling such an emotion to begin with, as he finally came to the bedroom.

"Genesis." He called out again, spotting the motionless figure on the bed. He spotted the wing out and would have thought that the man was sleeping if not for the fact that his eyes were wide open and he didn't even appear to be drawing a breath.

Swiftly Sephiroth made his way to the bed, dropping down and placing a hand on the top of Genesis's head. "Gen please." He begged, terrified not for the first time that he might have been too late and lost the other man.

The action was enough to stir the unmoving man from the recesses of his mind, as he blinked and looked up at his lover. "Hey." He muttered in response and Sephiroth sighed in relief.

"Are you alright?" There was more concern in his voice than most people would have thought possible.

There was so much Genesis could have said, including "No," but in his state of mind he felt he was enough of a burden to the other man. Thus he simply nodded his head with a "Yah." and closed his eyes.

It was obvious to Sephiroth even with his lack of social aptitude that Genesis was lying, which was the clearest sign that something really was wrong. His lover's acting skills had been infuriating, especially for a man who had trouble distinguishing things to being with.

The problem was that the silver haired man really didn't know what to do about of it. Part of him wished Angeal was here to tell him what to do and say to coax Genesis out of this state, but that was another problem with their current situation. They would no longer be able to rely on the other man's help even as sparsely as it had been needed lately.

That in mind, the only thing he knew for sure was that continuing to leave Genesis alone was a bad idea. "Come on, you're coming with me." It came out more like an order the he would have liked, but the ginger didn't seem to flinch at the words.

"I can't move." came the reply.

"You can come now." Sephiroth urged, trying to stir his lover.

"No, I can't." Genesis couldn't even begin to feel irritated, he was honestly just that emotionally drained at the moment. "I tried, my body is giving out on me."

It seemed that the cure Sephiroth was working on couldn't come any faster as a frown crossed his face for a moment. "Well then." He stated as his mind worked out the problem. Genesis couldn't move, Sephiroth wasn't going to leave him alone and he had to get back down to the lab. "I shall just have to carry you."

The ginger looked up at his lover with a bit of surprise as strong arms wrapped around him, lifting the redhead up from the sheets. There wasn't even a weak protest as Genesis just seemed to melt into the other man's arms. It was a hard thing for his pride to admit that he liked being protected, being held by Sephiroth. Even if that admission was only to himself.

For the moment the shadows in his mind seemed to be chased away as he was carried down the stairs into the basement. He was still sore and tired, but he was able to concentrate on the warmth surrounding him.

Vincent didn't even bat an eyelash at the sight as he looked at the pair. "Everything is running smoothly." was all he offered before turning his gaze back to the equipment.

Sephiroth held on to Genesis for a moment longer, trying to figure out where to lie him, and part of him didn't want to let go, especially after the feelings that had welled up when he'd walked in the bedroom. He had work to do though, work that was imperative for Genesis's recovery. With that in mind he found an old examination table and laid him down, placing a small kiss on his forehead. "Let me know if you need anything."

The ginger let go of his lover a bit reluctantly and nodded. It wasn't as comfortable as the bed, but from here he could watch Sephiroth work and, when the dark thoughts began to gather, he would simply open his eyes and look at the man who made fighting for his life worthwhile.

That night in bed Genesis wrapped his arms tightly around Sephiroth, resting his head on the other's chest. He wanted to live, even if the day had gotten him down a bit. "My savior." He muttered sleepily as the silver haired man's own arm wrapped around him, chin resting on red hair.

Two days later found Genesis feeling much better, the aches and pains that had gotten him down had abated to a manageable level and he'd been able to move about freely the day before, heading down to the lab to give blood to test the cure Sephiroth had found.

He'd stayed out of the lab so far today, not wanting to distract his lover from his work. He paced across the floor of the mansion's living area nervously, waiting. To think it could all be over soon. When Sephiroth approached him with a smile on his face, he knew.

"It worked, Gen." Sephiroth's own happiness was clear as he looked at his lover.

When the words of a working cure were spoken, Genesis's smile matched the other man's and he threw his arms around Sephiroth, nearly crying. "It's over. " Relief washed over the ginger.

"All that is left now is to administer the cure and a few more test to make sure that the cure does its job." Sephiroth explained, his tone was a bit neutral, but the look on his face and the way he wrapped his arms around the form clinging to him told the rest of the story.

"I don't think I've ever been more ready for something." Genesis still hadn't let go.

With a smile still on his face Sephiroth looked back down to the ginger. "So do I need to carry you back down to the lab?" He asked a bit teasingly.

"You don't need to." Genesis stressed, "But I wouldn't complain if you wanted to."

"Lazy ass." Sephiroth snorted, shaking his head before turning to head back down to the lab.

"Hey." The redhead pouted, but his mood hadn't truly soured as he followed. The trek seemed to take forever knowing that his cure was waiting in the basement.

"Take a seat." Sephiroth ordered, pointing to the chair where he'd taken most of Genesis's blood samples. This time though he came over with a large hypodermic needle, filled with a translucent red fluid. _That's__ it_ ran through the ginger's mind. His nerves were going everywhere as he tried to sit still as Sephiroth leaned over to inject him.

When it was over and the needle was disposed of Sephiroth just turned back to him. "Now all we have to do is wait." The words were heavy. He knew that there was still a chance that this wouldn't work even if all the tests he had done showed that it would.

Genesis' mood wasn't dampened however as he moved from his seat, giving Sephiroth a kiss. "Thank you, thank you for everything."


	8. Sunrise

This time at least I (DHT) was sick yesterday hence the late post today. Though the cynical part of us believes no one actually noticed.

Please leave a review, it really does brighten our day.

Chapters 1-8 now beta'd

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Genesis sat on a chair in the lab, wanting to know the results as soon as Sephiroth had them. The bottle of Banoran wine was already cooling in the basement refrigerator. The ginger could be described as impatient from time to time, but nothing beat the anticipation of knowing that his nightmare was over. That he wouldn't die, that he would be able to spend the rest of his life with the man he loved.

His arms rested at his side, fingers of his hand wrapped tightly around the seat. There was a nervousness about him that echoed a small child on Christmas morning. The only time he could recall being this tightly wound was the eve of his first deployment and even then he hadn't been so tense. Genesis was doing his best not to hover, not to disturb Sephiroth in his work lest he draw the process out longer, but the wait was truly maddening.

"The test strip is still showing signs of recovery. No degradation is re-appearing since the first application." These words were spoken by Vincent, offered off-hand while the silent gunman stood nearby.

Sephiroth offered the other man a nod in response, then turned his attention to Genesis. He was rolling back the ginger's sleeve and cleaning an area on his arm before getting ready to draw his blood for a test. Lifting the needle, he eyed it carefully while feeling for the red head's pulse in his arm.

Vincent turned to watch, his expression blank, though his thoughts were turning with each passing moment. Arms lifted to cross over his chest while he leaned his back gently against the edge of a counter.

"Regardless of the results of his blood test today, I would suggest testing again in a few weeks. The haste with which this was applied is understandable, but we could not know whether it would be permanent or temporary without a few more tests." Vincent's words were soft and only managed to carry just loud enough for them to hear because the lab was so quiet in comparison around them.

"I had planned for that, yes. Though we cannot stay for much longer in this mansion. ShinRa will catch up eventually." Sephiroth's reply was a bit more subdued while he concentrated on taking Genesis' blood without jarring the needle. How tense the man was didn't help either.

Vincent shifted on his feet, standing up straight once more as he turned to pass his fingers over the counter idly.

"You will need to take the 'cure' with you, then. And it will need to remain refrigerated. Or at least, cool enough until you find an appropriate place to put it once more. Fortunately for you, there was a container left behind that is meant for transporting delicate substances like that." Vincent spoke once more, then reached down to pluck out a cold storage container from the small fridge that kept vials cooled.

About that time, Sephiroth had finished drawing blood and pulled away, placing a cotton ball against Genesis' arm for him to hold and stop the bleeding. He turned about and regarded Vincent, offering another short nod, then moved around him to prepare a test slide with a drop of blood.

"How long do they usually keep their temperature?" he asked.

Vincent set the container down, then popped its lid, eyeing it carefully, "From what I recall of such things... a few days at most, perhaps a few more hours can be stretched from it, assuming you keep it out of sunlight. I would also suggest taking one of the microscopes from here as well, unless you wish to pay a pretty gil for a brand new one."

"I would rather our expenses be tied to other things, preferably, as limited as they will become in time." The former General returned smoothly.

Vincent offered a nod and set the metal jar that held Genesis' cure inside the cold storage container, then put it away. When he turned around to face Sephiroth, he tilted his head in curiosity as he watched the other man lean down to take a look at the results.

"Verdict?" Was all he offered.

Sephiroth was silent for several moments, then pulled away after adjusting the sight. The tension that was beginning to fill the air around them could have been palpable enough to cut with a knife. His hair shifted across the black leather of his coat and swept down over a shoulder, only to be tossed back over with an annoyed snort by Sephiroth.

"The verdict is... clear. You are officially on the mend, Genesis." He pulled away from the microscope, offering Vincent a ghost of a smirk before leveling his gaze on the red head.

The gunman merely nodded and slid off to the right, just in time to avoid a blur of red leather and hair from Genesis as the other man seemed intent on tackling Sephiroth.

Genesis had tears in his eyes as he threw his arms around Sephiroth. The ginger had barely registered Vincent's words of testing again, all he knew was that it was finally over. He wasn't going to die. "I love you." He muttered, burying his head in the other man's shoulder, breathing in the scent of his hair. It was something that he wasn't going to have to give up.

He gave Sephiroth a deep kiss. Genesis had held out his hope until he'd heard those words, but now it was overwhelming. The ginger tangled his fingers in silver hair. When he pulled back, he rested his head on his lover's chest and muttered: "Thank you."

There were a lot of things that were on his list to do. Genesis let out a small, happy laugh. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of him. "Whatever we still need to do here, I want to get it done." The redhead declared. "Now that I have a life to live with you, I am anxious to get it started." There was a bright smile on his face as he leaned in and kissed Sephiroth again.

Sephiroth offered Genesis a silent hug in return, at least for the moment. His expression had hardened and his brows had knit together. He looked cold and distant, but the reality was, he was relieved. He knew he should not grasp so readily at these results just yet, as Vincent's words were all too real. And correct. He would have to remain vigilant and keep an eye on his lover for some time before he felt that they were truly out of the woods.

A gloved hand reached up to brush his fingers through Genesis' hair, then he pulled back to offer him a smile.

"You can break open that bottle of Banora now, if you like?" His gaze swept from Genesis to Vincent, who could only offer him a faint shrug.

Vincent's expression hadn't changed from the moment the results were given up to this point and it was becoming plainly obvious that the gunman was not one for open emotions in general. Something Sephiroth felt he had in common with the other man over, quite a bit. And though he knew next to nothing about the stranger they found in the coffin, he could already understand enough that his reasons for remaining so are no doubt eerily similar to his own.

ShinRa seemed to have that kind of effect on people after handing them over to the Science Department.

"I would love to." Genesis replied, pulling back a bit, slipping his hand into Sephiroth's and starting to pull the man upstairs. Before he left though, he turned to Vincent, "You're welcome to join us, we'd have never of gotten this far without you." After the offer was made, the redhead continued on his trek up the stairs. He wasn't sure if the mysterious man would follow them or not, but it had felt like the right thing to do after everything.

Vincent was ready with his accustomed 'no' by now, however, upon watching Genesis drag Sephiroth back upstairs, he noted ruefully that, in his haste, he had forgotten the bottle of wine. Reaching out, he snagged the bottle carefully, deciding that he would deliver the bottle to them, lest they have to make an unneeded trip back down before getting to the packing up of equipment

Genesis almost felt like leaping up the stairs, even being in this horrible mansion couldn't drop his spirits. He was alive, something just a short time ago he had thought to be impossible. Though he stopped at the top of the stairs, one more detail had been lost in his joy over finding a cure. Genesis turned to his silver haired lover and took a moment to form his words.

"We've got one last test really." The ginger finally said, placing a hand on Sephiroth's materia bracer. "Cast cure, if I'm truly better then it should work now." his other hand went to his shoulder that still hadn't healed from over 6 months ago. But now it was accompanied by a smile rather than a look of sorrow.

He slid his hand back down into Sephiroth's and waited for the spell to come.

Vincent had started his ascent up the stairs when he paused, hearing Genesis' words. The gunman tilted his head up to look at Sephiroth and the red head curiously.

Sephiroth eyed the materia bracer, then Genesis.

"I suppose you are right." He concluded, then drew his hand up, already summoning the magic from the materia.

The next few moments found Genesis surrounded by the healing light of a mastered cure spell and Sephiroth's gaze was hard as he watched his lover's reaction. He wasn't sure if his work would take such an immediate effect, but he supposed it couldn't hurt to hope.

Vincent, for his part, had remained graciously silent over the issue, though it was clear that he was thinking something along the same lines as the Silver General. Overly analytical and pragmatic. If Sephiroth had not been so caught up in finding the cure for Genesis, he might have given pause to wonder just what it looked like to be on the receiving end of his often callous and dry answers. As it stood, both men were watching Genesis for even the slightest sense of relief that the cure could produce.

Genesis closed his eyes and felt the spell wash over him. He could feel the healing materia start to take effect. His surface wounds closed and the skin knit back together, a bit of the soreness left him as well. Pain he'd been in for months abated and he hadn't realized how much was there until it was gone. A look of relief crossed his face.

But it was soon replaced by one of concern. "I feel better than I have in months...but." He place a hand on his chest. "It's still not completely gone." The ginger could still feel the hints of decay. Only it was closer to before the incident in the training room. He didn't know what the others were thinking and the idea he might not be completely cured hurt. It was a bittersweet moment for him.

Genesis didn't even know where to begin as he looked up into Sephiroth's eyes, feeling as if he was somehow disappointing the other man. It was an odd notion to be sure, but it was still there.

It was certainly an improvement despite the lack of full effectiveness for the moment and that he could at least be happy about. Genesis took a deep breath, snaking his arms around Sephiroth's waist and rested his head on the (former) General's shoulder. They wouldn't be able to stay here much longer. All because he'd been recognized.

The cure had worked, to some degree at least. Genesis knew this. There was still a chance Sephiroth could heal him completely or that, if he really did avoid the battlefield, he'd be alright, something he intended to do anyway. He hadn't truly had a problem until he'd been injured. The redhead would just have to be careful if nothing else.

Sephiroth's expression was schooled perfectly. No hint of his thoughts escaped as he looked Genesis over. His hand dropped and he splayed his gloved fingers across the small of Genesis' back in a faint touch of comfort.

"I know it did not work entirely." He replied softly, leaning forward just a touch to allow his lips to brush along the red-head's forehead affectionately and briefly.

His gaze had gone immediately to Vincent's, a faint challenge rising in those green glowing eyes of his, as if he were expecting the raven-haired man to say something on the matter. Vincent, however, was content to remain silent and give the two men a moment to collect themselves. His own expression a lesson in mastery over controlling one's emotions. Once again, the late General found it startling to have found such an uncanny reflection of himself in Mr. Valentine.

"We still have something to celebrate." Sephiroth finally spoke again and pulled away, "And I have dinner to prepare."

"Your wine is still worth drinking." Vincent added, holding up the nearly forgotten bottle he had decided to retrieve for them.

Genesis nodded, though his spirits were still greatly dampened. "We can." He muttered, though he didn't really feel much like celebrating. Not when he could still feel himself dying, if only a little.

He already had decided not to go back to SOLDIER, Genesis was done with fighting. And if he did start degrading again, wouldn't the treatment work again? It wasn't ideal, but it still meant he would live. It was a practical way to look at it and he assumed it was likely how Sephiroth was seeing things.

Genesis made his way to the dining room and sat down at the table. Still not very talkative, though at least the fog over his mind had begun to clear, he didn't feel much like asking for his materia bracer back. Not yet anyway, if ever.

He leaned back a bit in his chair, looking at the ceiling as Sephiroth went to start their dinner. The redhead had a lot to think about and a lot to plan, but now he had time and he supposed that was the most important part.

Vincent was silent as they had ascended into the mansion proper, everything about this old place felt wrong to him, or perhaps it was his presence itself that he felt made the area feel so strange. A difficult notion to decide between, but at least there had been no adverse consequences he had seen happen due to his appearance there. At least not immediately.

The silent gunman's presence was muted, especially when he allowed his gaze to wander towards Sephiroth's retreating form. The silver-haired SOLDIER brought a lot of unwanted memories to mind and, more recently, a few new issues that he would be forced to deal with in time. So, to say the least, his choosing to remain upstairs was a bit unaccustomed, but he might have been deterred to find isolation by the fact that he was not yet ready to dwell on the information he had garnered when pursuing the laptop Sephiroth had left to him, to find Jenova's code.

The dining room table Genesis had chosen to seat himself at was old and stained with heavy use. It had an air of antiquity that Vincent felt akin to, though he was not sure why he should feel so old, when he had hardly done anything with his life before Hojo had gotten his hands on him.

The chair he settled into creaked under his weight and he gave a soft nod to the redhead as the other man briefly noted his presence before turning his gaze back down to study the grain of the wood. A soft sound of the wine bottle being placed upon the table followed before the rustle of Vincent's heavy cloak, then he was soon clasping his hands together. Even the air around them felt as tense and muted as the gunman himself.

Vincent took the time to study Genesis once more, though his expression remained perfectly passive, giving no trace or hint what his thoughts might have been. Perhaps he was attempting to figure the ex-Commander out by simple observation, or perhaps he was trying to gather some other useful insight on how he could have affected someone like Sephiroth so intimately. Either way, he was content to let silence stretch between them, that was until he realized Genesis's silent brooding was a bit strange, given the circumstances.

It was easy for him to assume that he might not have reacted so animatedly if he had been given a cure, but Vincent had never let the thought cross his mind that others would share his peculiar lack of enthusiasm towards an otherwise momentous occasion. Especially for a man that managed to break Sephiroth out of the conditioning that he was certain Hojo had worked tirelessly to put into place.

"You are rather forlorn for a man who has escaped Death's clutches." Vincent finally spoke out, a statement posed rather than a question.

He was no fool and he had no desire to play at pretenses. Small talk was useless to a man like Vincent. But he could attempt some form of it, if only in an effort to sate his curiosity, and avoid falling into his brooding over Sephiroth for just a bit longer.

"For how long?" Genesis replied with a sigh. "And that's not a metaphorical question. I know there are many things that could take me or anyone out unexpectedly. But the reality is that I'm still dying. I can feel it. I don't pretend to know what you've gone through." The redhead paused, remembering the journals kept on Sephiroth in the basement. "But I assume you can imagine that."

Vincent shifted in his chair, it was the only form of 'reaction' he seemed to offer to those initial words. His expression remained perfectly devoid of thought and emotion, but there seemed to have been a flash of something across those crimson eyes of his. It was too quick to tell just which ghost of emotion he had felt so briefly.

"Sephiroth..." Vincent started slowly, a faint trace of tension... Or perhaps apprehension, was detectable in his tone, "Is a man of many things. I was not awake during most of his time here, in the mansion, but given the intensity with which my own... experiments were applied with, I can only imagine the things that were done to him were... very carefully calculated and precise. And so I am certain, whether by his own desire or because he felt he was made to be responsible, he has undoubtedly become a force with which one would hardly reckon with so blindly..."

Vincent exhaled softly and closed his eyes, swallowing thickly after having spoken so much in such a short time. It had been quite a few years since he last had to exercise the muscles in his throat for something as simple as speech. And vocal chords that remained lax for twenty years or so could atrophy just like any muscle. Fortunately for him, his body had already been quickly repairing such things, a fact that continued to remind him of the torture he had been put through just to be where he was now. But even with the 'enhancements' as Hojo would have called them, Vincent still found it painful to talk too much. Not that he was ever a man of very many words to begin with.

"Even still, as... powerful and nearly 'infallible' as ShinRa no doubt wants everyone to believe, Sephiroth still remains just a man. An extraordinary man, under the circumstances, but still just that. His blood, enhanced with mako and Jenova cells alike, would still, even refined into a cure for you, take more time than allotted to run its course through your body."

The hand that was housed by a protective gauntlet tapped lightly upon the surface of the table before he finally allowed his head to tilt sideways, lowering eyelashes to study Genesis once more.

"You two have a very strong connection, by blood as much as by the trials the company has undoubtedly put you through. Who is to say just how long it will take before you are completely cured? We do not know. But he is certain this is what you needed, and from what little I have seen so far and what he has told me, I dare say it is a substantial improvement from your previous state."

Vincent fell silent once more, letting his gaze slide off to the side as he studied the patterns on the old rug that was now beginning to fade in color. After he had finished attempting to explain the process to Genesis, he was already finding himself questioning why he had bothered in the first place. He owed the red-head nothing, as far as he knew. Except perhaps by some distant association with Sephiroth... and Sephiroth... well. Vincent found his hand had lifted unconsciously to press his fingers against the bridge of his nose before sliding up and across towards a temple to rub. Ah, what a stressful bag of raging, rabid little cats to have tipped over in the process of helping that man find a cure for his... what, lover? A bit more than that, he was certain, given the lengths the silver-haired former General just gone to save him.

Genesis listened to Vincent's explanation, at first with a look of confusion, before he realized just what the gunman was telling him. "So, I may still be fully cured, it just might take awhile for it to reach full effect." The ginger looked away and let out a long breath. Someone else might have been upset with the fact that no one had ever told them this before, but being in a relationship with Sephiroth took a bit of understanding. It had taken the ginger sometime to learn this fact and he'd only done it with the help of his friend Angeal. If it hadn't been for the raven haired man, his relationship with the now ex-general would never have survived its early years. He realized that Sephiroth may not even have fathomed that things like this were not in fact common knowledge. It had happened before and so he relaxed a bit, feeling better with this new bit of information.

Genesis ran a hand through his hair, letting the strands fall loosely as he nodded faintly. "Though we will be leaving here soon, we won't have a choice. I suggest you come with us. You've done a lot to aid us, help me, and I doubt you want Shinra's attention back on you, especially Hojo's." As he finished he let his eyes fall on Vincent, taking his own moment to study the man. A short time ago he would have pressed the mysterious man to divulge all his secrets, but with recent events he'd become a bit more private himself and was content to let the gunman keep his own.

Still, it made thanking the man properly hard since he didn't know how.

Vincent was startled from his reverie, however, when Genesis spoke again, and snapped his gaze back towards the other man so quickly it was impossible not to note the look of shock on his features before it melted away so smoothly.

"It would be no less than I deserve, if I somehow found myself in their clutches once more." Vincent replied offhandedly, sounding as if for all the world he would absolutely refuse the offer, no matter how logical it appeared.

However, the gunman gave a long heartfelt sigh before he shook his head, "That alone is not reason enough to move me, Genesis. However, I cannot allow myself to be captured by them, if only for your former General's sake. So perhaps I will... accompany you for a time."

Genesis allowed himself to relax further as he ran another hand through his hair. "So I suppose you're right, there is still a reason to break open the wine. I'm cured, and you're coming with us. If just for a while." With that Genesis stood and walked across the floor, as old boards creaked beneath his feet. He had a feeling Vincent wasn't exactly comfortable with their continued exchanges for one reason or another and had no desire to force to man into more conversation.

Vincent only offered a faint nod in reply to Genesis' words, as he was more than content to allow the ginger to distract himself with other things. With his duty done, the gunman found no other excuse he could use to avoid his brooding thoughts over the silver-haired former General. And so he slipped out of his chair to wander through the mansion for a time while Sephiroth finished cooking.

The redhead made his way into the kitchen, where Sephiroth was preparing their dinner, and wrapped his arms around the man's waist, before playfully nudging some hair off the back of the man's neck with his nose and placing a kiss there. His mind momentarily flickered to mentioning what Vincent had told him about the cure, but it was nearly pointless, so instead he went to the other topic.

"Vincent agreed to come with us, rather more easily than I thought he might." Genesis informed the Sephiroth, "At least for a time."

As spoke he released the man, knowing that it would only hinder his cooking process. And likely get the ginger yelled at. "Looks wonderful." The redhead hummed, obviously in a bit better spirits than he'd been just minutes before.

Sephiroth felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise at the gentle touch Genesis offered him, his warm breath tickling against the skin there and disrupting him enough to cause him to shiver. The words to reprimand his lover for bothering him while he was cooking over a hot stove died on his lips however as he noted the change in demeanor.

"You were the one who picked out these things, I am simply cooking it." Though his voice was stiffened, his body had relaxed completely after Genesis pulled away and he even offered a faint smile.

"Mushroom sauce with flank steak and some swiss to top and melt over it. I plan on making a simple pilaf to go with it, the rice is boiling already. It should compliment your wine, anyway." He continued on, setting aside a fork he had used to check on the steaks in favor of picking up a spoon to stir the rice gently.

He fell silent once more, seeming to brood over something, though naturally his thoughts were expertly hidden from any guesses at their source. Truthfully, however, he found it difficult to grasp that convincing Vincent to come with them had really been that simple. He knew Genesis could be persuasive, but something about the raven-haired man suggested there would have been nothing he or Genesis could say to him to warrant a favorable reaction. He had not intended to even try himself.

After a bit, he finally addressed the issue.

"He is obviously welcome to join us, given everything he has done. I do not know exactly how long he has been down there and I suspect he may never tell us, but I would rather he leave this place for his own sake. Even if it is simply to find another place of solitude with which to hole himself up in."

"It was kind of odd actually." Genesis replied, thinking over things a moment, the look in his eyes showed that his mental capabilities were already returning to him. "Vincent said he would accompany us for your sake. I mean it's kind of strange that he would single you out as the reason, unless something happened in the lab." It was obvious that he wasn't accusing Sephiroth of anything nefarious, more a realization that a conversation might of taken place that he wasn't involved in.

The ginger backed away a bit, hopping up on a small expanse of unused counter space. Genesis had taken to sitting a lot even before he knew exactly what was wrong with him and it would be a habit that wouldn't easily be broken.

"Either way, I don't care if he stays with us, but getting him away from this place seems to be about the best thank you we could give him." Genesis commented further. "I want to burn this place down when we leave. Too much here just to leave it behind. We can take what we need in the truck, we already know we can't stay here and ShinRa is going to know that we invaded the Mansion anyway so there really isn't a reason not to."

The ginger crossed his arms, not even really noticing the mental processes as they came back to him, but he did realize that burning down the old Mansion 'just because' wouldn't be a good enough excuse for his lover. So without much pause for the man to argue Genesis continued on ahead. "Besides, with all those research notes down there and what not it's a miracle some of the towns folk or even an over curious kid hasn't found anything. You may not care, but that information in the wrong hands could do you a lot of harm. I can't believe ShinRa let Hojo leave that all behind. If they even know what he did out here. He may have left everything because he knew ShinRa wouldn't approve."

Some part of Genesis wanted to believe that the company he and Sephiroth had devoted their lives to hadn't turned their back on them from the start. "Either way there are reasons to torch the place, including covering our tracks with what we did here, for all ShinRa has to know we just hung out at the old Mansion for a while. There aren't really many reasons not to and I can make sure the fire doesn't spread to the town."

With that said, the redhead looked back to his lover, still standing over the stove, and smiled. Genesis knew now what ever happened, wherever he went, it would be with Sephiroth.

The sounds of meat sizzling filled the air as the ginger spoke, with Sephiroth taking advantage of the moment to simply absorb the words. He could already tell a difference within Genesis. The other man was so much more vibrant than before and now he was thinking with a clear mind.

That perhaps, above all other things brought the ex-General some much needed relief. But more than that, really. The ginger's words had struck him. There had been a conversation between Vincent and himself, involving Genesis, however… Sephiroth had already decided he would keep the truth from Genesis until he was ready to face the ramifications of it with him. Part of him ached when he caught his lover's attempts to show faith in the company still. If he told him the truth, he knew that the other man would likely have demanded an action that neither of them could afford to take for the moment, not while Genesis was still recovering.

"Whatever Mr. Valentine's reasons are, I believe they are as enigmatic as he is. I am more than certain he had associations with the company beforehand, but I could not tell you with which department. Not with any certainty. His mannerisms suggest a couple of branches, but then that could just be a result of the testing and experimentations done on him."

Sephiroth shrugged stiffly, seeming to brush off the entire idea, at least for the moment. He did not feel threatened by Vincent in the least, and so he felt no need to rush figuring out the gunman's mysteries.

"You are correct, however. I would prefer to bring him with us, since a controlled burning of the mansion would be our best option in slowing ShinRa's investigation down. I doubt we have the time to be as thorough as we should, but, with you on the road to recovery, I do not foresee them catching up to us being an issue."

Sephiroth's lips thinned for a moment, falling silent in brooding as he flipped the flank steaks over. He spent the next several minutes preparing the rice and starting the sauce for their meal. Cooking always helped to keep his mind and hands busy when he would otherwise have been left with nothing to do but brood. And brooding was dangerous when it often led him to places in his mind that he was uncomfortable with pursuing. Even after all these years, emotions and understanding their sources and the multitudes of complicated reasoning that went with them was a concept the silver-haired man simply could not wrap his mind around. Not without giving himself a headache, at any rate.

When he spoke next, it appeared to be more of an afterthought rather than something he had fallen silent in thought over.

"We should expect Turks to show up sometime soon. With the end of this week nearing, they would have labeled us AWOL by now. And I daresay Heidegger and a few others on the board are possibly panicking." Was that a faint trace of sadistic humor coming from Sephiroth's voice?

The very idea of the chaos that his and Genesis' absence was producing would have weighed heavily on his conscience before. Enough to send him back out of some misplaced sense of duty and loyalty to explain why he had chosen to make such a blatantly stupid mistake that would have affected his career so deeply he might not have recovered. That is until he realized just how important he was to the company, for them to save face. Especially during the middle of a war.

Even if he and Genesis returned to ShinRa, he was certain that they would receive nothing more than a severe verbal reprimand and several months worth of duty that would keep them separated as punishment. Aside from that, there was not much else the company could do to them. Not without making themselves look bad. The mess this entire fiasco would bring to their PR office alone was enough to give the ex-General a few tickling butterflies in the pit of his stomach. It was a strange way to have an epiphany over one's own worth, but at least he could allow himself to be amused by all of this rather than take the opposite route and remain stressed.

Sephiroth was certain that Genesis was the reason why he no longer feared a reprimand from ShinRa. The ginger was such an integral part of his life that he could not see himself surviving very long without him. That sobering thought was enough to send his mind spiraling elsewhere and he jerked faintly to avoid over-thinking it. There was no reason to ruin the good mood of their evening over thoughts of 'what might have been'.

It was pointless and he knew it.

"Grab the butter, if you would?" He murmured, switching topics as quickly as a sword stroke.

Genesis gave Sephiroth a sly smirk when asked for the butter. "Of course love." He replied, a bit more in his tone of voice then what was appropriate for the situation. The ginger hopped off the counter and went over to the fridge, bending over far more than required for the simple task. There were many things that came with the idea that he might be cured, and returning certain aspects of their relationship to normal was on his list. While he had enjoyed the events from a few nights ago, it had been a wonderful surprise, he missed having his lover inside him. It was something they had avoided for a while now, even if Sephiroth hadn't known the truth of way for part of it.

As much as the redhead tried to rationalize it, the simple fact of the matter was he was a man who missed having sex with his partner.

Then it hit him, since they left Shinra there was no reason for them to be apart for months at a time like they'd been before. A smile played across his lips. In the early days the only way they had survived was because they spent that time apart, less time to argue and more time for Angeal to work his magic, but as things had developed Genesis had come to despise those times more and more. It was just another perk of leaving it all behind.

The easy part was walking away, figuring out what to do now that they had was the hard part. He walked back over to Sephiroth and sat the butter down, looking at his lover as the man worked. This was his future, he knew that, now better than ever before.

Sephiroth had allowed his gaze to follow after Genesis after he had picked up on that rather obvious tone in his lover's voice. One eyebrow had quirked and then he scoffed at the sight. He was not the subtle type himself, but this display was rather over embellished. He might have snapped at him with a few teasing words, except it had dawned on the ex-General that this behavior was so much more natural for Genesis.

In fact, it had been months since he recalled the other man ever being quite this playful. Sephiroth exhaled shortly and gave an awkward smile in response. He had gotten so used to the subdued version of Genesis that he was almost uncertain what to do with him while he was clearly getting back to his old self.

One thing remained clear to him, however, there would be no sexual antics to be had while he still had to figure out what they were going to do with themselves.

"Well, it is good to see you have your enthusiasm back to match that libido of yours." Sephiroth murmured as he took the tub of butter from Genesis' fingers.

Genesis was in a rare mood, brought about by his enthusiasm over being cured and he had the sudden desire to ravage Sephiroth on the spot, regardless of who may be within range of hearing. He offered the silver-haired man a coy smile before purring out a wordless response, then leaned in to run his hand up along Sephiroth's chest in a bold and flirtatious move.

Sephiroth's response was immediate. His nostrils flared and he struck out after setting the spatula he was working with to the side. One arm wrapped around Genesis' shoulders as he tugged him close and soon the ginger was in a headlock, squirming and still offering a playful smirk. When Sephiroth felt him purposefully rub up against his crotch, he couldn't help but bark back on a chuckle, then turn the red-head around and promptly delivered two firm swats across his ass.

He then let Genesis go and held up a gloved finger, wagging it, "No. Bad. I'm cooking, you know better."

Even if he was reprimanding the other man for being so playful with him, it was clear that he was not as irritated as he was attempting to make himself out to be. Truthfully, if he had not been in the middle of preparing their dinner, he might have taken Genesis up on such a welcome offer.

Genesis offered a small pout at being denied, but he knew better than to expect anything out of his lover before the meal was finished. He waited patiently despite himself as the meal was prepared, though nothing would keep him from appreciating his lover's form.

The ginger watched silver strands of Sephiroth's hair sway together, wondering what he did to get his hair to stay like that. It always seemed so perfect even when he fought. It was one of many questions Genesis imagined he could have answered now. They knew each other well, but when their time together had been limited, asking silly questions about hair seemed so pointless.

Genesis also realized now that he would have the time to share as many Dumbapples with Sephiroth as he wanted, even if his reasons had changed slightly.

As Sephiroth finished cooking and started to move the food to the table, the ginger stood again. "I'll go find Vincent and let him know dinner is ready." He offered before turning the corner only to see the very man in question standing there. "Well, that was easy." Genesis muttered, looking at Vincent and getting the feeling that the man just knew that the meal was ready and it was time for his presence to return.

Vincent stared blankly at Genesis for a long moment. The gaze might have been accusing if he had continued to stare much longer, but he finally stirred just at the marker where it went from being awkward to downright creepy. Admittedly, the meal smelled more inviting than he had originally anticipated and, before he knew it, he was seating himself at the table with the ex-General and Genesis.

Sephiroth offered Vincent a silent nod in greeting, though he refrained from speaking for the moment. He set a plate in front of the gunman out of courtesy. He was not entirely sure if the other man would intend to try and eat, but it made him feel better that he had something there to toy with while Genesis and himself ate.

"You appear to have some talent for cooking." Vincent stated flatly, eyeing the plate with a critical air as though he were a master chef giving a grade.

Sephiroth glanced over and offered a stiff shrug before replying, "It was a hobby I developed early on. In between missions when I was left with off-time, there was not much else for me to do. I generally avoid watching television, as most of the programs make absolutely no sense to me. I do not understand how people find them 'entertaining'."

"Ah, my sentiments exactly." Vincent echoed softly as he shifted in his chair to place his hands neatly on the table nearby.

Sephiroth reached for the bottle of wine and uncorked it, then poured each of them a glass.

"I think perhaps a toast is in order, before we get settled into dinner, wouldn't you say?" The ex-General lifted his glass then, used to formalities and all their accompaniments from the events he attended for ShinRa before.

Vincent seemed to hesitate faintly, as though unsure he should even be a part of this, but he reached out and took the glass delicately by its stem and stood. Both men turned to Genesis and offered him a glance.

Genesis sat silent for a moment as the other two talked. He had decided to shake off whatever the hell it was Vincent had done with the 'staring' and chose instead to enjoy the meal his lover had prepared. The ginger took a deep breath, not realizing until then that even his senses had slowly become muted while he had been degrading. It truly was a breath of fresh air.

When they spoke of television Genesis only hummed in response. He had enjoyed the theatre, that was true, but most of what played on the television stations was watered down nonsense. Though he had a feeling that bringing up this point would be lost on his current company. It was a sad fact that the one time he'd gotten Sephiroth into the theatre, the man had fallen asleep before the second act had even finished.

As both sets of eyes in the room turned to him, though, he suddenly felt rather awkward like a child at their first performance. "A toast would be in order, I suppose, yes." He mused before standing with the other two. A small smile graced his lips as he turned to his lover, not willing to look at Vincent for the moment. He appreciated the man's help, but there was still an air about him that could be considered unsettling. Though he wasn't rude, especially since he had no real reason to feel apprehensive (at least if you disregarded the fact that the man had apparently spent the last 20 years in a coffin).

Vincent was rather nonchalant about the entire situation, at least as much as a man in his position could be expected to be. He was simply rolling with whatever went on at this point, all the while quietly contemplating his purpose in life and whether or not it was worth it to risk this much exposure to the two men.

Sephiroth had returned the smile and lifted his glass by this point.

"Let us toast to your newfound health," Sephiroth began, "And for the luck we happened across when arriving to the mansion on nothing but a whim and a prayer. I would also like to offer my gratitude to you, Mr. Valentine. And a toast in your honor, for your willingness to help complete strangers."

Vincent shuffled on his feet, seeming at odds over anyone finding him 'helpful', but he was gracious enough to accept the thanks with a faint nod and a lifting of his own glass. Sephiroth and Vincent turned once more to Genesis and held out their glasses.

"To your health and recovery." Sephiroth smiled faintly as he gazed out towards Genesis.

"To a new beginning for you both." Vincent offered, though his voice was a bit subdued.

Curious that he hadn't bothered to insert himself in that toast, but neither men knew the gunman well enough to decide whether or not this was just a personality quirk.

Genesis nodded to both of them, before quoting. _"There is no hate, only joy, For you are beloved by the goddess, Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds." _He paused a moment more before holding his glass out toasting with the others. "Thank you both, I'm afraid I would not be standing here if it weren't for you."

With that he drank with the pair of them, part of him wished Angeal had been here with them and there would be a bit of sorrow that his friend hadn't shared it this. How Angeal would take them leaving the company and everything with it behind, he couldn't even begin to know. Contact however would be risky at best. And only serve to implicate his friend in things. For now it was best to leave him out, he had already destroyed Sephiroth's life at Shinra and, even if he thought that was a good thing, he didn't need to drag Angeal along with him. Especially with that overzealous student of his.

He would eventually find a way to talk to his oldest friend, but they had a lot of other things to figure out in the meantime. Still, he couldn't bring himself to be overburdened by everything ahead of them, he was just happy that he had a future to look forward to.

The meal was eaten in silence for the most part, but less awkward than you might expect considering the participants. Genesis was enjoying the flavor of the food too much to add to the conversation (or lack thereof) and the other two were quiet by nature. When it was over he gathered the dishes to clean up. Taking what he could and starting the water, he returned to retrieve the rest to find Sephiroth sitting alone.

He let out a small sigh, but figured he'd ask anyway. "Where did Vincent go?" For a split second he thought about getting a collar and a leash for the man, before shaking his head and realizing that was a horrible idea. Though the idea of getting one for Sephiroth in the bedroom was more appealing.

Oblivious of Genesis' nefarious plottings involving his own person, Sephiroth was wiping down the table and paused as he looked up to offer a faint smile to his lover.

"Vincent has taken it upon himself to pack up everything else we intend to take with us and then check on the truck to make sure it will handle a long trip. Assuming it might need last minute touch-ups, we can always stop by in town and get that done."

It was a sound plan and one Sephiroth would have likely followed himself, if Vincent hadn't offered to do it first. The fact that the raven haired enigma was as pragmatic as he was certainly endeared him to the ex-General, given how much he found they had in common. He almost thought it a pity at the prospect that they might part ways soon.

"He will be quite alright on his own, my dear." Sephiroth continued, then helped to gather up the last few remaining dishes and carried them into the kitchen to begin washing with Genesis.

By the time the dishes were done, Sephiroth was making it clear that he intended to pick up where Genesis left off earlier. He had slipped up behind the red head and wrapped his arms around his waist, smoothing fingers down his stomach to tickle at the hemline of his pants.

His lips found Genesis' ear and he kissed slowly before whispering, "Now, where were we?"

Genesis let out a delighted purr as Sephiroth started kissing him. Part of him had been not really afraid but discouraged that his lover may pass up a chance in the bedroom for making plans. It was certainly in the General's nature, but deep down he knew that Sephiroth had missed their romps in bed as much as he had.

Their sex had started out a rough, dominating affair after heated sparring sessions, but when both figured out that they had been wanting more, it turned into a passionate experience that could truly be called loving making. Genesis would never forget waking up in Sephiroth's bed that first morning that their relationship truly shifted or the day that his lover had 'asked' him to move in, or rather declared that he already did in a practical sense, all that was missing were the redhead's clothing and other personal possessions.

It turned into a 'long' night for the pair, Genesis rediscovering sensations he had lost, and no thought was again spared for the mysterious gunman who likely had taken his leave for the simple fact that the manor had thin walls. Though Vincent had no way of knowing just how vocal the redhead could get when his lover worked his body.


	9. Raindrops

Quick note, everything including this chapter has now been beta'd and reposted. Thank fenhuang. Thank you to everyone who's read/favorited/followed and especially reviewed. darksargonas particularly is thankful for them as it helped them get out of a funk.

They really do help!

* * *

The pair stirred with the sun, as the ginger gave a stretch and a yawn. He looked over to a head of silver hair, somehow he had managed to wake before Sephiroth, but he didn't doubt that his lover was close to wakefulness himself.

"Good morning, love."

Genesis smiled, stretching up to give the other man a kiss. He really could get used to this. A feeling of peacefulness seemed to radiate from the pair, as the light from the window danced across the silken locks the former SOLDIER loved so much. Everything from the warmth of his lover's arms to the smell of his skin, to the peaceful expression on Sephiroth's face were things he wanted to capture in his mind. Most of all the ginger felt loved, cherished even more so than before this had happened. The truth was, ugly doubts would always swirl in his head, mostly stemming from his childhood. Genesis had a hard time believing anyone could love him and, while over the years he had accepted the fact Sephiroth had these deep feelings for him, he realized before now he never grasped just how real they were.

The lack of doubt in the back of his mind nearly caused him to gasp. It had been like a heavy weight, even more so than the degradation and it was simply gone. Sephiroth did in fact love him. A soft sigh escaped his lips as his fingers danced across pale flesh, before cupping the other man's face.

It was rare that anyone was awake before Sephiroth, so to say the man had been thoroughly exhausted and made comfortable the evening before was an understatement. The touch to Sephiroth's face stirred him with a faint grunt and shifted over the bed sheets until he was curled up half-way over Genesis's form. His head rested on his lover's stomach while and arm curled up to bump his fist up against his own chin. It was a rather adorable image of the fierce ex-General, to be caught snuggling with his lover.

The scent of Genesis' skin and the faint traces of sweat and sex that had settled on them both eventually drew him out of his dreams, enough to yawn and fuss with the blankets.

"As much as I loathe this place... I am feeling a rather new and unaccustomed sense of laziness." Sephiroth managed to groan out as he stretched languidly.

"I suppose that is no excuse, however. I need a shower. I'm covered in... you." The ex-General continued in a grumble.

Genesis smirked at Sephiroth and shook his head, "I didn't think being covered in me was too bad, at least for you. I know I enjoy having you all over me."

Normally, the now self-exiled Silver General had no issue with the idea of going to bed a sticky mess, especially after such a passionate night as the one they had shared. However, he hated the feeling it left behind after drying and waking up with it each morning. Every time Sephiroth would swear to take a shower before heading back to bed, but somehow never managed to reach that part of his vow. Especially when the improvements upon their relationship had led to very affectionate moments shared afterwards.

Apparently Sephiroth enjoyed spooning.

It had been a surprise to him as much as Genesis the first few times it had happened, but while Sephiroth may have received some form of private teasing over the matter, it never left their bedroom. A fact that he had appreciated, especially knowing how merciless his other half could be about his own exploits. Garnering such an emotional response from the cold, calculating Silver General. Gaia only knew the hell that would follow him had Genesis not shown a rare form in appreciating it for what it was. In fact, he was certain, if Genesis hadn't handled it so well, he might have shied away from the entire practice of cuddling for the rest of their relationship.

Sephiroth rolled out of bed and padded towards the bathroom. Upon reaching it, he leaned over to twist the knob that would begin flushing water through the pipes to poor out of the shower faucet. When nothing came out and he began to hear the tell-tale, _thud thud thud thud,_ as the pipes shook in the wall, he grunted and turned it off. Sephiroth wouldn't be able to take a proper shower, since the water wasn't turned on upstairs. A minor sense of irritation crawled along his features as he realized that he had overlooked that when they first arrived. Having his plans gone thoroughly awry, Sephiroth settled for washing himself down in a basin with a pitcher of water that had been brought up for late night drinks.

They could always stop somewhere if the desire to get clean began to overwhelm the man enough to keep him from driving. Which he was not above pulling over and stalling their trip for.

Genesis had to agree with his lover about the sticky mess and planned to follow in his footsteps as soon as the ex-General was done washing up. Even with the unclean feeling, the smile on his lips never left. Last night had been wonderful, he was well on his way to being fully cured, the decay that he had felt yesterday was almost a faint memory. Instead of feeling like he was dying, his flesh slowly, subtly rotting from the inside out, he felt alive, his body pulsing with energy. So much so that he regretted and felt foolish over his depression the day before and the idea that he might not be fully cured. To top it off they were leaving this horrible mansion. The fact that he would be able to burn the place to the ground only helping his cheerful mood.

Several minutes later found Sephiroth dressed and heading down the stairs noisily as he made his way into the kitchen. Vincent was awake. Not surprising, though the sight of him settled over a steaming cup of coffee gave the ex-General pause.

Vincent looked up to regard Sephiroth and offered him a faint nod, "I have already packed everything that could be packed overnight safely into the truck. All that is left is... your belongings. And a few provisions. The truck needed an oil change, but I took care of it."

Sephiroth blinked uselessly, then stirred and nodded shortly, "Excellent news. Genesis should be down soon. After we have broken our fast, I imagine he will get to work on... setting this place ablaze."

Vincent arched a brow at that, but said nothing. It was not his place to dictate how the two men made their decisions. And it wasn't as if he had any lingering affections for the mansion anyway.

"We will be staying for an hour or two, then?" Vincent asked lightly.

"Long enough to make sure the fire does not spread from a rogue wind." Sephiroth nodded as he stepped into the kitchen to retrieve a cup of coffee for himself.

Vincent seemed agreeable to that, or at least Sephiroth assumed he agreed, since he was not voicing any concerns or offering any other suggestions. Truthfully, Vincent was far too busy having second thoughts about his actions and how best to ensure Lucrecia's child's safety, in case he did end up wandering off on his own eventually. Despite knowing the truth for himself, Vincent still felt as though he had no right to associate with Sephiroth, and it was getting even more difficult to judge himself with a clear mind. It was a dangerous notion, to be certain.

Back up-stairs Genesis figured that Sephiroth had gone down to speak with Vincent and he wasn't yet hungry for breakfast so he set about collecting the few things they had brought with them, packing them away. It had been put off last night in favor of other activities and that didn't bother the ginger at all. Putting their things away was actually kind of soothing, like the first steps to their new life. For a moment he wondered if this was how newlyweds felt, but just shook his head. He didn't need a ceremony or a piece of paper to dedicate his life to his lover.

Gently he folded up their clothing, taking care with each piece. They were SOLDIERs (Even if they didn't plan to go back to Shinra it would be hard for them to look at themselves as anything else for some time.) and they took pride in their work. When the clothing was all packed, he went about collecting everything else. Sephiroth's hair brush was handled with care, as was the man's shampoo. He took a quick look around the room, picking up the last of their things. Blankets were folded and pillows stacked up. Even for being 25 years old they were high quality and Genesis though they might be useful on the road.

The ginger left everything he intended to take stacked in the corner of the room, a smile gracing his lips as he found himself pleased with his work. He patted himself, making sure that Loveless was in his coat pocket. He would be damned if he left his precious book behind as they set the place ablaze, even if Sephiroth might find that outcome preferable.

When he was finished, he made his way down the stairs and smelled the coffee. Walking into the kitchen he acknowledged the pair before finding the coffee pot - something else they would have to take with them - and getting his own cup of coffee. Afterwards he turned back to Vincent and Sephiroth with a content sigh.

"I've got most of our belongings packed up." Genesis informed the pair. "I'm ready when you are."

"Good to hear." Sephiroth replied over his cup as he sipped.

The Silver General stood resplendent in his signature black coat and leather pants, looking for all the world as if he had just rolled out of bed while looking perfectly groomed, except he was actually a little out of it and was currently losing himself in his thoughts.

At a prompting stare from Genesis, Sephiroth stirred once more, making an odd grumbling burbling sound as he darted away, recalling the breakfast that still needed to be made. The motion brought a rare chuckle to Vincent's lips despite himself and it was soon echoed with the others.

There was a strange sense of relief and apprehension all mixed together in the room, mostly from Sephiroth as he mulled over the decision to leave. It wasn't as if he intended to stay or even return to ShinRa by this point. That was a matter long since dealt with, given how much trouble the two of them were likely in, and concerning the news of the Jenova Project, he was not at all pleased with the idea of giving the company a single minute more of his time.

In fact, Sephiroth had spent hours between the lab work and waiting running thoughts of the company through his mind. He had jumped back and forth between anger and disappointment to betrayal and indifference. The Silver General had even worked a plan out that involved dismantling the entire company while getting revenge and making sure that every board member was exposed and offered to the general public to dispense justice. However, ultimately he realized that ShinRa, even as corrupt as it seemed to be, was a necessary evil.

It was a discussion he wanted to have with Genesis, but he was not ready or willing to explain the Jenova project to his lover and his own thoughts on how the ginger might have played a part in things. Perhaps after they had found a place to settle.

In the meantime, he busied himself with cooking a light breakfast, making egg sandwiches which would be perfect to carry on the go or to take with them in case someone proved to be a little less hungry than anticipated.

By the time he was finished, he was handing a sandwich off to Genesis and giving Vincent a look as he held one out to him.

Vincent looked rather bemused, but took it anyway.

"One of these days, you will have to tell me how that works." Sephiroth commented.

"You mean what Hojo did to me to ensure a long-lasting, tormented existence trapped inside of a coffin without food or water?" The gunman replied.

Sephiroth shrugged, "I suppose when you put it that way."

"Perhaps one day. I do not blame your curiosity." Vincent murmured as he took a bite of the sandwich.

Genesis already had things plotted out in his mind. The ginger had taken the offered sandwich, listening to his lover, he was slightly surprised that the man had said anything at all pertaining to prying into Vincent's existence, but he couldn't deny that he was also very curious. The redhead was just certain that he would have been the first one to break.

Though the reaction the gunman gave was a little shocking, it was not surprising given the little bit Genesis had read in the research library.

After they finished and packed up the rest of the items they would be taking with them, they stood outside of the mansion, looking it over with muted expressions. The building represented a lot to each of them. Memories were firmly etched into the woodwork through the passing years and, even as it had been abandoned and only recently used once more, a few memories had been created again. It was almost a shame to set fire to the mansion, as though the old building itself was somehow responsible for their pain, but no matter what mixed feelings they might have shared between them, it was still their best option.

Genesis had taken the time while Sephiroth was preparing breakfast to take a look around the mansion, deciding the best way to set the place ablaze and not risk the town. From the outside it might appear that the ginger was oblivious to his lover's dark thoughts and it was true that he didn't realize the exact nature of what was going on in Sephiroth's mind, but he could read the former General, possibly better than anyone else on the planet. Genesis knew something was wrong.

The former commander had no way of knowing about the Jenova project or how it was currently weighing on his lover's mind. Instead Genesis assumed that it was the prospect of civilian life that was bothering Sephiroth so much. He did feel guilty about upending the other man's world so thoroughly, but in the end he knew this was the best course for both of them.

At least he hoped it was, but with as jumpy as Sephiroth had been on the boat he doubted that he could stand to be in a cadet's presence any longer.

"Well then." He finally piped up. "I've done a bit of looking around. The dead brush has been cleared away. I want to start the fire in the corners of the building and fan it in, but before then we need to dig a shallow pit around the house just for safety's sake." Genesis noted. "Water would be good, might be able to break one of the pipes to fill it almost like a moat, but I don't know if the well contains enough water and I don't want to threaten the town's water supply."

He thought this out as thoroughly as he could. "Most of the trees are a good distance away. Might just wet down the lawn a bit and tear the fence away from the house by a good several feet. It's going to be a bit of work, but it should keep the fire from spreading where we don't want it to go."

When Genesis was finished with explaining, he picked up a shovel, ready to start on the work. It would take several hours at least, but doing something physical like this would help put him back in a good mood, especially with all the 'relaxing' he had done lately.

As he moved to start digging he felt a hand on the shovel. Genesis glanced back to see Sephiroth attempting to take the thing from him and he gave the man a dark look. "I'm better, you said so yourself."

Sephiroth seemed to wrestle with something internally for a moment before relenting, grabbing his own shovel and mutely digging. The idea that Genesis was cured would take a bit of time to sink in and the General's protective streak would be hard to kill, if it ever went away.

The shovels broke through the hard earth with ease. Dirt was piled up on the outside edge of their little ditch to make it taller and a better fire break. Genesis was trying his hardest not to get dirty, but even so a thin layer of dust still settled over the former SOLDIER. He shook his red hair and let some of it fall out with a sigh as he looked up at Sephiroth. His lover stood there clean as ever even as he was digging up the dirt and Genesis's eye nearly started twitching. He loved the man to death, but his perfection in everything, including staying clean while surrounded by dirt, could be more than a little irritating.

It was almost as if the soil was terrified to settle on his form. "How do you do that!?" Genesis exclaimed.

The man in question simply looked at him, confusion on his face. "Do what? Dig up dirt? I am aware that some talents I possess are not exactly considered a normal skill set, but I had not thought this was akin to brain surgery."

"I know how to dig!" The ginger snapped. "I mean the dirt! You're not getting dirty."

"I had not realized my cleanliness would upset you so much." The former General responded with a bit of a teasing tone. Sephiroth normally considered the other's irrational temper bothersome, but at the moment it was a sign that his lover was on the mend. That in mind however, he reached over and grabbed a patch of dirt with one gloved hand, then tossed it sharply at his coat, covering himself in the offensive substance. "Better now?"

Genesis nearly threw his shovel in a brief flare of temper and would have followed through if he wasn't certain Sephiroth wouldn't let him pick it up again. "I didn't want you to get dirty! I wanted to stay clean." The red head nearly snorted.

"Well, then you should have voiced your concerns more concisely from the start." Came the reply before the former General turned and started to continue to work on his ditch. He didn't care if Genesis stood there and wasted time as he ranted at him a bit more, it was less work the recovering ginger would have to do.

It seemed Sephiroth's nefarious plan was beginning to work as his lover stood there, getting further worked up. "You knew what I meant!" Genesis insisted. "Why on earth would I want you dirty?"

"I recall, earlier this morning, you mentioning something about enjoying myself being dirty." Was the deadpan response. It was adding fuel to the fire and he knew it, but it let Sephiroth continue to work while the other man just stood there.

A growl emitted from Genesis's lips as he sank the shovel in the ground, instead of continuing to work. He simply crossed his arms, halting all actions to be productive suddenly. "Don't you even begin to get coy with me right now."

Sephiroth offered an amused glance back at Genesis, one eyebrow raised, as if to say. 'Oh really?' It was short however as he turned back to his work, his lover none the wiser to why he suddenly seemed to have such a playful mood.

The ginger's temper was reaching its peak as he stormed over to the area Sephiroth had made it to, he opened his mouth, fully intending to give the other man a piece of his mind. He would find himself thwarted, however, when there was a flash silver hair lifting with a sharp motion as Sephiroth whirled around and Genesis found his lover's lips upon his own, cutting any complaint short.

The next two words were spoken with a faint purr from Sephiroth's lips, "We're done."

"Done?" Genesis proclaimed in confusion, killing his rage instantaneously.

"Yes, and I'm glad you're feeling better." Sephiroth replied with an honest smile.

Blue mako eyes narrowed on their target. "You did that on purpose."

"I did nothing but dig a ditch." Sephiroth's tone was neutral but there was a bit of amusement in his eyes. Normally he might have added a 'This isn't the first time I have had to pick up your slack', but by now he knew such abrasive words would have led to a much more heated argument and pissing off Genesis to keep him unproductive was no longer his goal. It had taken a few years and much counseling from Angeal, but the former General had finally learned when to keep his mouth shut. It was an amazing feat of strength considering that, out of all the things he normally perfected so easily, social interaction had still managed to elude him.

Even with Genesis's little provoked display, the pit was done in a little over an hour and Vincent had busied himself with removing more of the brush and soaking the lawn. He'd actually taken the initiative to avoid the pair for the most part, especially when he'd overheard the yelling. It wasn't really any concern of his to begin with, but the tone the two shared with each other had sent warning bells off in the gunman's mind and he simply did not want to get dragged into the middle of a lover's spat. Idly, he wondered if the ginger really was all right, but he dismissed the thought since he hadn't really known the man beforehand to have a base of personality with which to compare to.

Still annoyed, but beginning to cool, Genesis stood back and surveyed the work a moment. He glanced around and looked for anything they might have missed. "The gas is off, right?"

It was the last thing they needed, to have gotten that far, only to have the whole place explode violently and send chunks of fiery debris and ash to fall on the town below.

"It is." Sephiroth replied, having taken care of it sometime after breakfast.

"Alright." Genesis replied with a nod, before moving to set the mansion ablaze. He'd have offered for Sephiroth to do the honors, but he doubted that the man would have truly understood the gesture and simply questioned if the former Commander was really alright. After all, Sephiroth would have found it odd for Genesis to pass up a chance to set something on fire.

He held his materia bracer in hand, taking a deep sigh. He slipped it on, it was like falling off a chocobo and not wanting to get back on. A nervous feeling stirred in his stomach, but he pushed it down. Deserting Shinra or not, he was still a First Class SOLDIER and he knew his way around materia better than anyone.

The ginger made his way back into the mansion, having decided earlier where exactly where he'd start the fire. Upstairs he chose two of the bedrooms that were closer to the outside of the house, lighting the dry linen ablaze. With the first fires started, he had to move fast. Normally he would have jumped down the banister, but with the addition of his wing he was able to glide down to the bottom floor. There was a large piano in one room that he used as starting point and in another it was the currents. Lastly he set the kitchen ablaze and stepped out the door.

For a moment he thought about simply flying over the house, he had yet to test his new appendage that way, but in the end thought better of it. The last thing he needed to do was to come crashing down on the fiery mansion. With that decided he retracted his wing, leaving a flurry of black feathers in its wake, and made his way back around the front of the house with Sephiroth and Vincent.

Within minutes the fire was growing, moving inward just as Genesis had predicted. The three of them stood with the heat of the flames on their face. The ginger was a real pyro at heart and it seemed the beauty of the dancing flames was one of the few things that could keep him silent. Silence reigned, with absence of Genesis's words his two companions found no reason to speak themselves. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky and the fire was beginning to wane that the spell was broken. The redhead sighed as he looked to Sephiroth and Vincent "Alright, I think we're good."

He was slightly surprised at the lack of commotion from the town below, but it wasn't too hard to imagine that the town cared as little for the mansion as trio did.

When they were certain that the fire wasn't going to spread, they finally pulled themselves away from the distracting inferno and moved out towards the truck. Sephiroth took a moment to make a mental list of everything they had packed in the back of the truck, then opened the door to the driver's side and began to seat himself. He was stopped when he noted that Genesis already pushing his way in, intent on taking the spot in the middle where the stick shift lay.

"What are you doing?" Sephiroth questioned with a faint tone towards the end of his words.

The clipping of the former General's voice was not lost on Genesis and already the red-head's hair was needling up on the back of his neck. He shot his lover a defiant and accusing glare before muttering through clenched teeth.

"I am about to seat myself in the truck, is there something wrong?" Genesis replied.

"Yes." Sephiroth countered, not at all phased by the steely-eyed glare that was directed his way. After all, that was an expression he was used to, coming from his short-tempered lover.

Vincent paused, looking between both men with a reserved air. Naturally, he wasn't about to say anything, but even he was confused with this sudden hold up.

Genesis lofted a brow in challenge as his arm lifted to rest on top of the truck's cab while leaning into the open door, "Care to explain yourself? Really, I want to know what the issue is now."

Sephiroth's expression was muted, but there was a brief flash of irritation that crossed his features. In the end, he offered Genesis an unamused look as he spoke dryly, "If you sit in the middle, there will be no end to remarks every time I have to downshift on the gears, I would rather not put Mr. Valentine through that kind of abuse."

Vincent felt his own hairs start standing up on the back of his neck, but for a different reason. His eyes went wide and he nearly back peddled a couple of steps as he heard Genesis beginning to sputter, caught between words and a million different rebuttals.

In the end it was all Genesis could do but to scream, "I have some sense of self-control, you self-centered dolt! I'm not some horny teenager that can't go three minutes without making a pass at you."

"Genesis-"

"No. Don't you 'Genesis' me, you brazen idiot, if you think I'm going to put up with th-"

"Genesis-" Sephiroth tried again, but he was cut off this time by Vincent who abruptly interjected with a quiet:

"I can just ride in the back, really…"

"NO." Genesis and Sephiroth both turned on the gunman and snapped at the same time.

Vincent's hands came up defensively, even waving them a little in a sign of 'I give up!' as he shrank a bit further against the truck.

Genesis and Sephiroth stared at each other, fuming silently for several moments until Genesis finally spoke again, seeming intent on making the argument worse, "Besides, if you make him sit in the middle, by your own logic, wouldn't that just make it worse for him, since I would have to reach pass him to get to you?"

Vincent felt the corner of one eye start to twitch as he lifted his gloved hand to cover his face. This was starting off terribly. He was regretting this entire debacle and wished he could have crawled back into his coffin or at least brought it with him. Anything to get away from these two.

"I highly doubt you would be inclined to do so." Sephiroth replied calmly and made a brushing motion with his hand to insist Genesis move and let Vincent pass through.

Genesis threw his hands up into the air with an exasperated cry and pushed away, turning his back on the truck. Vincent hesitated for several seconds, but relented with a sigh. They needed to get going, and it was clear Sephiroth would not be moving them anywhere unless he got his way. It was going to be a very awkward drive to wherever it was they would end up. He slipped into the middle, not at all happy with being trapped between the two fuming lovers, and when the doors were slammed shut, he shrank back against the truck seat and tried to avoid the heated glare Genesis was aiming towards Sephiroth. The former General seemed impossible to affect as he turned the key in the ignition, letting the truck roar to life. A sharp remark from Genesis was lost over the noise of the engine, which, Vincent was thankful for, as he was certain that Sephiroth might have delayed them further just to argue with the red-head a little more.

This was going to be a very long drive, indeed.


	10. Those Left Behind

This chapter (and the next) will focus back on Angeal, and what's happened while Gen and Seph have been away. Thanks again to our lovely beta fenhuang for going over this chapter.

Please leave a review- DHT & darksargonas

* * *

Angeal sat in Lazard's office, not sure why he was here and filled with more than a bit of trepidation. He had taken a red-eye flight from the frontlines of Wutai back to Midgar and had been told nothing outside of a cryptic message regarding his presence being needed back home. Amidst the trepidation there had been a minor bit of agitation or at least as much as the usually calm, honor bound SOLDIER could get. Having every question ignored or brushed aside up to this point would have had that effect on anyone, really.

Lazard was standing in the corner of his office, looking a bit lost for words. The information he had received, along with the official stance that the board was already willing to take had put him into a difficult situation. As it was, he had narrowly managed to secure enough time to enact his own orders and make a thorough investigation before Tseng was given the go ahead to trample all over his good intentions. Finally he turned back to Angeal as his hands slipped onto the back of his leather office chair. The First Class SOLDIER sat patiently, knowing that the man would get to what he had to say soon. Though he did question if things were as serious as they appeared to be while Sephiroth and Genesis weren't present.

That would at least be answered soon enough.

"I know you've got a lot of questions and I apologize for not being able to answer them before you arrived here. I really don't know how to put this in gentle terms but, as of midnight last night, General Sephiroth and Commander Genesis Rhapsodos have been out of contact with us long enough to be considered AWOL." Lazard finally stated. "6 weeks ago, they left the ShinRa complex claiming to be heading to Wutai. The last time the company can officially track them was 3 weeks ago, when they boarded a transport carrier in Junon, but once they hit Costa del Sol we have no idea what happened to them. Quite a remarkable feat for the pair."

Angeal sat in shock at the news he'd been handed, but Lazard wasn't done with his explanations. "I've managed to keep this under wraps as much as possible. Not even the president knows that they are gone at the moment, but I can't keep this up forever. The board has threatened to speak with President Shinra over the matter, but I have convinced them to give me some time before making the situation official. The Turks will find out soon if Tseng doesn't already have an idea. I want you to take your student and investigate their apartment. See what you can find. I thought they may have contacted you, but I've reviewed your communication records. You've not spoken to either one in two months, it seems." Lazard finally finished, adjusting the glasses on his face a bit. He was nervous and worried, but he was still the Director of SOLDIER and he looked out for his men. These actions flew in the face of anything logical or predictable that could be warranted by Sephiroth or Genesis. The very chaos that their even rumored disappearance could have created was enough to have everyone breathing down his neck.

It was an uncomfortable prospect and one he didn't appreciate being put in. However, given Sephiroth's previous achievements and Genesis's own record, he was more than willing to give them a chance. There simply had to be a reasonable explanation for all of this, though he was not sure what it could have been. Genesis was irrational and emotional, yes, but there had been -nothing- that could move Sephiroth's resolve. Not to make such a careless mistake like this. His career was a fine-tuned and polished gem that had been worked with over the years and Lazard could think of no individual situation that might arise for the Silver General to risk that all against. Not even for Genesis. And for both men to leave Angeal out of their plans? It was so preposterous he had nearly brushed it all off to begin with, if it hadn't been for the glaring truth of their absence before him.

Angeal felt the cold chill of numbness overcome him. This news was so much to take in, the fact that he was here listening to these specific words felt entirely surreal. His mind couldn't even begin to wrap around the complexities that their actions have surmounted, much less how he was involved with any of it. Angeal's immediate thoughts dwelled over why he hadn't heard anything from at least Genesis for so long, but he knew that Sephiroth had been assigned to Midgar for a few months and the couple rarely had much time together. It was part of the reason he hadn't given Genesis too much trouble about switching assignments. Gaia only knew how long it had taken him to get those two to swallow their pride long enough to admit that they cared for each other.

"I haven't heard a word." Angeal finally muttered, attempting to combat a bit of that numbness by forcing himself to speak. Various scenarios were already running through his head, none of them seeming to make any sense, in the end he knew that he needed to get to that apartment.

"I hate to sound crass, but, you have tried calling them?" Angeal continued as he slowly lifted his gaze to Lazard's.

"We have and we tried tracking their PHS's. The signal was located somewhere over the ocean before it cut off. It appears that they disposed of their phones while on the ship." Lazard sighed. It was clear that, whatever the two had done, it had been planned out ahead of time. "I don't know what could have possibly happened with those two to warrant this kind of thing, but if anyone can figure this out it's you."

It was a bit of encouragement and all Lazard could give at the moment. He already sensed Angeal's hesitation and disappointment and couldn't afford for the man to get distracted by it. Angeal had never shown signs of a weak spirit or mind, but even Lazard knew a blow like this would be hard for any man to take.

Angeal stood and nodded, there was truth in Lazard's words and, though he knew the other man might have only spoken them to stir him to action, he could not ignore the rightness in them. The resolve to help his two friends filled him, regardless of any other sinking feelings he might have been struggling with.

"I will figure this out. I promise." With that he turned and left Lazard's office, a heavy weight on his shoulders.

"Awww maaaaan... I still can't believe this. I was so close to showin' Angeal a bad ass move I've created! And then we get called back in the middle of the freakin' night all the way out in Wutai, can you believe this?! This better be a national emergency!" Zack cried out as he stomped his foot animatedly on the company floor.

The recently promoted 2nd Class SOLDIER had been up in arms since the first 'mysterious call' from Wutai had given them strict orders to return to the pickup point. He had argued the entire way, threatening everyone on the Board with colorful insults until Angeal had delivered him a look that kept him quiet for the rest of the flight home.

He could tell something was already eating at his mentor, but he couldn't even begin to figure out what it might be. Angeal hadn't gotten any more information than the call to send them back. To make matters worse, Zack had chosen to bring along an infantryman he had befriended along the way, which was against so many company regulations they couldn't even begin to pick them apart. There had been no time argue the point, however, and so it was that poor infantryman that stood with Zack now, being forced to bear the burden of listening to the raven haired SOLDIER's rant.

The infantry man in question just stood there, not sure what to do. When Zack had 'ordered' him to come back to Midgar he knew he shouldn't have followed. The orders hadn't been for him and whatever it was they were being called back for was likely so far over his head he would drown.

But he'd already learned what happened when one questioned a SOLDIER's word. Even someone as supposedly even tempered as Sephiroth had turned hostile. And in the mood Zack was currently in, he wasn't sure what would have happened if he'd turned the man down.

Still he offered Zack a smile. "Maybe they called you back because there is something that only you and Angeal can handle? Because they know how good you are?"

The infantryman adjusted his helmet a bit, he knew he didn't necessarily have to wear it right now but it wasn't time to be taking chances. "Oh, I don't think I properly said thanks for helping me get the dye out of my hair." Sometime before he'd been sent on his first mission he'd been subjected to a bit of hazing, which included putting black hair dye in his shampoo, but the effect on his normally blonde hair had turned it brown.

Zack looked about ready to puff his chest up and start crowing like a prized cockerel. He hadn't thought about it that way, after all! What if there -was- something that only he and Angeal were capable of handling? The biggest shit eating grin spread across Zack's face and he reached out to give a friendly slap to the infantryman's back.

"Right on! I know how bad all that hazing can get sometimes. You would not BELIEVE what they did to me when I first got promoted to 2nd Class. Man, I was itching in places I never knew I had for two weeks straight!"

Their conversation was cut short however as Angeal returned, looking a bit grim.

"Come on Zack," Angeal's voice was a bit gruff, showing just how much was resting on him at that moment. "We've got a lot of work to do and not much time to do it. I'll explain on the way."

Zack was startled when Angeal approached and he rounded on his mentor so fast he nearly waylaid the man. With a bit of backpedaling Zack managed to get a hold of himself long enough to realize what sort of mood the other man was in. His brow furrowed and he shuffled on his feet.

"You really look like you just saw a ghost, Angeal." He murmured out, seeming a tiny bit more subdued than normal. "A job? Okay! We're on it!"

Zack flashed the infantryman he had befriended a grin, then waved him on. He would not be worming his way out of this adventure, it seemed. In fact, the second the poor guy started hesitating, Zack simply reached over to snatch him by the collar and started dragging him with them.

The infantry man thought for a moment. His mind was racing. Zack's mentor. Commander Hewley (who was best friends with Commander Rhapsodos and General Sephiroth) didn't look very happy at all and he was certain he wasn't supposed to be included on this little adventure, but at the same time he also was on the SOLDIER floor, somewhere else he wasn't supposed to be and could hardly explain if he was caught alone. It was a tough decision and he felt like the air was being crushed out of him from the weight of it! Stuck between a rock and a hard place, how could he possibly have known which way to go?!

The decision to stay or go was ripped from him, however, when Zack took it upon himself to drag him along. Panic nearly set in as Angeal gave him a look. It was obvious that the other man was debating something internally when he let out a sigh and just seemed to go along with it.

"So what's up?" Zack chirped as soon as he caught back up to Angeal with his 'stray' in tow.

It was true though that Angeal had debated Zack's friend's part in all this. But he didn't have time to argue with his overzealous student and he trusted his judgment, well at least as far as people went. Zack could be a little gung-ho about a lot of things and it often drove him to more trouble than it was worth, but the boy's instincts? Angeal had not met anyone with quite as much intuition as Zack Fair seemed to possess. He was naive, yes, but he had the kind of outlook that could be good for the company, and really, between Sephiroth and Genesis' attitudes, they could all use someone a bit more upbeat around. They filed into the elevator taking them to the floor where the three 1st's apartments were.

Though there were three up there, one had remained vacant for years now. Angeal found himself losing his thoughts towards the past and though he couldn't very well afford to dwell for too long, he found himself enjoying the memories even more, especially with the sinking feeling creeping into the pit of his stomach. It had taken him so long to help those two get a clue about each other and their own feelings. He remembered many nights when Genesis invaded his room, only to rant about one thing or another that Sephiroth had done or said that the ginger had felt was insensitive. The number of visits had been so many at first that Angeal had nearly pulled his hair out from the stress. It had almost gotten to the point that it was becoming distracting for all of them, getting in the way of their work and constant training. More than once he recalled the lectures they received, with him getting dragged into the mess just by association. It was then that he decided it was sink or swim with those two and, in the end, he had chosen to help them. Why? Because he wanted to see Genesis happy, as much as Sephiroth. It was selfish and against company policies, but it was the only time he had ever been willing to break the rules. He could tell that they both really cared for each other, they just had a terrible way of showing it.

The fights between those two had been legendary, often ending with Genesis at the wrong end of Masamune, much to Angeal's dismay. But no matter how much they fought, Sephiroth had never lifted a finger to truly hurt the ginger. The day that he dragged Sephiroth into one of the virtual training rooms to confide in him a secret that Genesis had made him swear to never speak of was the same day Sephiroth had told him his own secret; the thing the Silver General had wanted most. A family. Someone to love him. It had shocked Angeal to his very core, to the point that he hadn't noticed that Genesis had been listening in on their conversation as it had continued. That day, everything had changed between Genesis and Sephiroth. And it wasn't long before the third room on this floor saw less and less of its occupant. Until finally, Genesis had simply moved all of his personal possessions into Sephiroth's apartment and they began to 'officially' unofficially live together.

ShinRa tolerated it only because their relationship had turned from something overtly destructive to an amazingly productive balance. They pushed each other to the limits day by day. Sure, there had still been hiccups and fights, neither one of them were masters when it came to social interactions, but the fact remained; they were perfect for each other, and even the company knew that.

Angeal lifted a hand to push his calloused fingers across his face, slowly rubbing at his eyes as the memories overcame him. Emotions welled in the pit of his stomach and, by the time the elevator had rolled to a stop and dinged, the 1st Class SOLDIER looked absolutely miserable.

He was distracted from his reverie when he heard the startled gasp of another SOLDIER, who had been waiting for the elevator to reach their floor.

"A-ah! S-sorry, sir, I'll just wait for the next one!" The poor guy stuttered, backing away as he noticed that it was nearly full and the look on Angeal's face.

Angeal merely nodded, waving him off as he looked towards the interior wall. Avoiding eye contact was paramount, he simply couldn't afford to let his emotions be read so easily and he knew that his eyes would betray him. Lazard needed to keep this tightly under wraps and, though the rumors that would have started about seeing him in such a condition could have numbered anything, he simply couldn't take the chance that anyone might make a lucky guess.

The raven haired Commander knew that Zack was probably curious as to why they were heading to the famous trio's private living quarters, but his questions would soon be answered, much to Angeal's dread.

"What I say here doesn't leave us." Angeal warned more for the cadet's sake then Zack's, after the door had closed shut and the elevator began to move. "When I was in Lazard's office, he informed me that, as of midnight last night, Genesis and Sephiroth are now considered AWOL, though nothing official has been done yet."

"We've been asked to do what we can to figure out what happened. Which means that our best option is starting in their apartment." Angeal finally explained with a heavy hearted sigh.

Zack's eyes went as round as saucers, he could barely comprehend what Angeal was telling him, and nearly fell over as his mind caught up with him. Genesis and Sephiroth were AWOL?! It took all the effort he had not to just start screaming wildly in confusion, as though his entire world were coming crashing down around his ears. Angeal looked upset enough as it was and he had stated the matter was delicate.

With a hard swallow he offered a numb nod to his mentor, then glanced at his friend with a nervous smile. This was really bad, what could have possibly made those two go AWOL?

The poor infantryman was about to pass out. They were going to Sephiroth's and Genesis's apartment? He was absolutely certain that he wasn't supposed to be in there. He was already fearful that Sephiroth was going to kill him, what would the man do to him if he knew he had invaded the private sanctity of his own home?! The images that first came to mind were horrifying and he was shocked that his mind could be that vivid. A small whimper managed to escape his lips as he lifted his hands to tug on the sides of his helmet, pulling it down further, as if that would somehow help him escape the waking nightmares his brain was currently inducing. He had completely missed the nervous smile Zack shot his way, not that it would have helped his situation any better.

Angeal however missed the entire display and perhaps for the better for the way his mind was currently unraveling. Instead, he chose to continue with a few more words, "They don't have their phones and _no one_ seems to know where they are." He sighed, obviously stressed.

When they reached the desired floor, Angeal stepped out and headed past his own room down the hall to the end. Fluidly, he took his keycard out of his pocked and swiped it through the lock. The thought that the pair might have changed their codes never even occurred to him and indeed such worries would have been unfounded as the door opened up. For a moment everything seemed normal as his eyes surveyed the scene in front of him, taking in the well decorated apartment before his features twisted in disgust, nose scrunching up and eyes closing as they started to water. Swiftly, he brought up one hand to cover his nose. Things just got a lot more complicated.

"This is a lot bigger than I could have imagined. I just... I don't believe it, Angeal! How does someone like General Sephiroth just go off like that? And with Commander Rhapsodos?! I knew they were close but this- It just—Whoa, gods, what is that reeking?!"

Zack was cut off when the smell of something like a rotting corpse suddenly wafted across their noses. The 2nd Class SOLDIER lifted up his hand to cover his nose and mouth, disgusted, but morbidly curious as he peeked through the door behind Angeal.

"Oh man, this is NOT good. Not a good start at ALL." He groaned.

Angeal had to agree with his student's assessment. He wasn't sure what had happened at this point, but the smell of blood and Mako filled the apartment so thoroughly that he was certain that he would have noticed it from his room if he'd been home. As it was, he didn't know how he had missed it from the hall.

Taking a few measured steps into the room, he looked around. The living room appeared fine, nothing too out of place for the pair. Genesis's books, all but his prized copy of Loveless, still sat on the shelf. There was a thin sheet of dust collecting over the furniture, with nothing having been unsettled for the few weeks that Angeal's friends had gone missing. Despite the smell of decay and mako, the apartment had an eerie sense of peace about it, as though Sephiroth or Genesis could come waltzing back in at any moment and demand to know why they were invading their private quarters. It was difficult for the 1st Class SOLDIER to swallow, despite the overwhelming truth of the situation. They had left in a hurry, not bothering to take anything with them. He knew then, wherever the two had gone, they either intended to return or were willing to leave everything behind. Angeal's chest ached with the thought, as though his heart was finding it difficult to keep beating at the idea that he had been left behind so blatantly. So many questions and yet, he had a feeling they wouldn't get answered, despite their efforts here.

In his mind it wasn't possible that the two could have run into something they couldn't handle. Alone they were both a force to be reckoned with, together Angeal simply couldn't imagine a single thing that might move them. Not even the threat of ShinRa tearing them apart would have caused such a blatant reaction. They would have fought it and he would have heard about it! Hell, he would have been behind them every step of the way, if only they had told him! Angeal felt his hand curling into a fist as a faint trace of anger began to replace the disappointment and pain. What were those two idiots thinking?!

For his part, the infantryman who had been haplessly drug along closed his eyes, part of him believing that he would be struck by lightning for just stepping over the threshold into the apartment. Zack was awesome, that was true, but the man was certain that even Zack couldn't save him from Sephiroth's wrath. No one could. He may as well have pissed off a god, as far as he was concerned.

The smell was enough to turn his stomach, but he recognized the Mako. His hometown had been rich in the stuff. The blood however was a bit much, even if long dried. He was used to the coppery smell of fresh blood at this point, but rotting and mixed with Mako? Not so much.

"Zack, take your friend and go check out the kitchen, I'll check the bedroom and bathroom." Angeal ordered. If anyone was going into their most private space, it would be Angeal. That was something he would at least give the pair.

Zack hadn't realized that he was hunched over and skulking about like a burglar until Angeal addressed him again. The SOLDIER was startled and yelped, flailing about defensively for a second before landing straight on his feet again. Jeez! Angeal didn't have to startle him like that. The situation was tense enough as it was! He offered Angeal a bewildered look for a second, attempting to comprehend his request, then nodded as the words were refreshed in his memory.

"Alright!"

Passing a look to the infantryman he had befriended, he offered a thumbs up before turning it into a motion to follow him. Zack puffed up proudly, as though he was certain that he was the right man for the job. Angeal was already looking worn and ragged, so he had to pick up the slack. The small dining room and kitchen were separated only by a simple doorway, where the kitchen was enclosed in one corner of the apartment. He made a passing glance over the table and noted the dust gathering on it. Had they really been gone that long?

He turned his attention to the kitchen, then stopped dead in his tracks. The color left the SOLDIER's face as his jaw went slack and his eyes grew round. A chill passed through his form, forcing a visible shudder. Zack couldn't quite comprehend what it was he saw on the kitchen floor at the moment and he felt panic rise from his gut before he did the only thing he could think of doing.

"ANGEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAL!" The name was suddenly screamed out across the apartment.

"ANGEAL! Angeal! Oh my- Th- th- CRAP!" Zack yelped and started making circles, flailing his arms around, after all, what the hell else was he supposed to do in the face of this? "Oh gods! Oh gods! Oh gods! THEY RITUALISTICALLY SACRIFICED A CHOCOBO IN THE KITCHEN! There's blood and feathers everywhere! They've gone to the dark side! ANGEEEEAL! What do we do?!"

Zack skidded to a stop next to his friend and clung to him tightly, whimpering, "We're all gonna die!"

Zack's friend was about to pass out as it was even before the SOLDIER 2nd's panicked cry that they were going to die. Combined with the sight and the smell, he started to breathe heavily himself, waiting for Angeal to rescue them from some imaginary harbinger of death as he clung just as tightly to Zack.

Angeal's reaction was just as swift as he tore through the apartment. When he reached the kitchen, battle ready and mind ablaze with every number of scenario Zack could have come across when he had panicked, he stopped and took in the sight. To say the man was surprised could be considered an understatement.

"What...?" He stuttered, taking in the mess.

Had someone broken into their apartment and done this as a prank? There were a few Turks he could remember getting in trouble for giving SOLDIER problems, but there was no way they would have the courage to mess with Genesis and Sephiroth. And even if they did have the gumption, there would have been other signs to suggest such a thing. But no, the blood and feathers were as clear as day. There was even a bloody handprint, though partial and smeared across the floor as though someone had slipped or landed awkwardly. It was difficult to tell.

"Calm down Zack and think." Angeal demanded, the last thing he needed was for his student to be in hysterics, especially when his friend was about to pass out. A hand came to his forehead and he really wished he could just _call_ Genesis or Sephiroth and figure this out, even as ridiculous a notion as that sounded.

He had been in their bedroom long enough to figure out that they had _packed_ their luggage. The suitcases were gone along with several articles of clothing, but that's all he'd managed to deduce before Zack went into hysterics. The fact that they would leave this mess behind suggested they had left in a hurry. Had there been an altercation? It had been years since he recalled Sephiroth and Genesis ever getting into a fight that ended in blows and even then, the amount of blood there was far too much for what the Silver General would have allowed to pass between them. How was this mess connected with their need to leave in a hurry and seemingly in secrecy since they hadn't bothered to call him or speak to Lazard? But that led to another issue, why take a ShinRa transport? If they had wanted to be covert about it, they could have simply left and bought a vehicle or find some other means through a third party. And what was on the other continent that they had to get to so badly? None of it made sense.

Think... Think!

"You're right!" Zack exclaimed after Angeal reprimanded him.

He had to approach this like the professionals did. A hand lifted to capture his chin as he adopted the worst kind of 'serious thinking' face anyone could manage. Zack's gaze followed the mess, picking out the blood and feathers a bit more closely. His nose scrunched at the smell, but he was clearly attempting to figure out just what could have happened with these key clues.

"Hmm..." There were too many possibilities that were popping up in his head, yet he brushed them aside as ridiculous. He was trying to be a professional here!

So, what did Zack Fair come to the conclusion of instead?

"I got it!" He finally snapped his fingers, looking smug and confident.

Taking a cue from Angeal's perplexed look, Zack struck a pose all dramatic like and held out his hand as though he were intending to conduct some kind of scene.

"It was a case of... pillow play gone awry!" Zack finally murmured.

_The air was filled with tension that morning when Genesis found himself in the kitchen, attempting to grab a bite to eat. He was not sure why he felt so much apprehension, after all, the morning had been a good one. He was in the process of making the most delicious of sandwiches when he heard the door to the apartment slide open, signaling someone's approach._

_"Hello?" Genesis called out, curious who could be visiting this early._

_The Crimson Commander paused as he was just about to put the last slice of fresh salami on the pile when he turned his head, just in time to see Sephiroth rounding the corner into the kitchen! Surprise and relief spread across his face as he welcomed his longtime lover home from the latest Mission._

_Unfortunately, it would not be an affectionate greeting that awaited him in return, for Sephiroth was already glaring accusingly at the Crimson Commander, as though he suspected him of some malicious crime._

_"What are you doing home?!" The Great Silver General commanded with all the authority of a god!_

_Genesis gasped, looking hurt, "I stayed home for you! I thought we could spend some time together, since we hardly see each other."_

_The tension grew thicker as Sephiroth scowled and lifted a hand to point accusingly at his lover._

_"You know that is against company policy! How dare you take liberties, even over our relationship!"_

_The Crimson Commander grew angry then, feeling hurt and betrayed over the act of selfless love he had tried to show the Silver General. He would not be bullied! He stood his ground and puffed up his chest, then jutted out his chin like an angry peacock about to strike._

_"Do you intend to do something about it, you cold-hearted bastard?"_

_"I do!"_

_And that was when the Silver General took his battle pose, extending one leg back and reaching back towards his waist. But instead of pulling out Masamune, he retrieved a pillow! Genesis was shocked, he could not have expected this tactic, and so he was caught off guard momentarily. It was a few seconds too long, Sephiroth struck! Genesis found himself assaulted by the acute fluffiness of a freshly laundered pillow, hitting him square in the jaw and knocking him back against the kitchen counter._

_The Crimson Commander stumbled, but caught himself and prepared for a counterattack, producing his own fluffy assault weapon and readying it with a glare._

_"You may have gotten the jump on me, General, but I will have you know, I was the Champion Pillow Fighter of Banora for three years straight!" Genesis snarled out as he lifted a free hand to push his bangs back into place._

_Sephiroth's lip curled back in a show of characteristic confidence before he jerked his own chin in challenge, "You will fail to live up to your title today."_

_"Oh__,__ hell no~" Genesis cried out, lunging forward as he struck with his pillow._

_The fight ensued, with both men, aptly experienced, exchanging blow after blow until the fight grew so heated the pillows began to tear. Black feathers were tossed through the air, and__,__ with one last swing by the Silver General, the edge of his torn pillow caught the butter knife that had been set aside on the counter, long forgotten in their heated battle._

_The knife took to the air, hidden in the midst of feathers as they continued to fall to the ground, and made a fatal connection with Genesis's face. A sharp pain-filled cry filled the air as the Crimson Commander dropped to his knees, holding his face. Blood was already welling up over his fingers._

_"My face!" He screamed._

_Sephiroth gasped in horror and dropped his weapon, "Nooooo! What have I done?!"_

_But the damage had been done, and Genesis was now wounded from a butter knife to the face._

"And that's how it went down." Zack nodded gravely.

Angeal allowed Zack to continue his story just out of sheer shock, staring at him, fighting to keep his mouth shut. There was an acute numbness that had overtaken Angeal, forcing him to remain immobilized as his ears had been assaulted by that description. A mixture of embarrassment and countless other uncomfortable emotions were welling up inside of the 1st Class SOLDIER, and yet it was all he could do to simply stare at Zack as though he had grown a second head. His student may have momentarily taken his silence as pride, but that was not the case. No matter how many times he tried to wrap his brain around Zack's logic or how he could have possibly arrived at that conclusion, Angeal simply couldn't fathom it. His brain was on the verge of shutting down just from protesting!

Finally he spoke, exhaling heavily as if he had been holding his breath for several seconds. That had likely been the case with as red as his face had gotten. "So many things." He muttered a little cryptically at first.

"Zack, how can you even begin to come up with the idea of a _pillow fight_, let alone the rest of that...that… train wreck!?" Angeal was trying to keep calm and not snap at his student for such an outrageous scenario he had managed to concoct. Angeal was a rather patient man when it was all said and done, but the stress of the situation was already beginning to get to him and he simply didn't have the time for these sorts of shenanigans.

Admittedly though, everything was an opportunity to teach his student another valuable lesson, even in the face of this apparent tragedy.

"Zack, _think_ like I know you can." The commander muttered.

He hated to admit that at least Zack was coming up with _something. _Even if it was a bad something. It might spark Angeal to figure out the truth of the situation while his mind was protesting and busy making him feel betrayed and worthless. Right now he couldn't even comprehend what had actually happened here, there was simply too much emotion involved. He wondered idly why Lazard would pick him to investigate this, even if the Director's choices were limited. Angeal was too close to this and the man had to have known he would be affected by this, even distracted. Another sigh left his lips as he shook his head, trying to clear his mind of anything but the facts. It didn't seem to work and only left him with a faint spell of dizziness that suggested he would need to find rest some time soon.

The poor infantryman just stood silently to the side after he had pried himself loose of Zack, trying to do his best not to give in to that sweet blackness that was unconsciousness. If he couldn't handle this, he'd never make it into SOLDIER proper. His mind was working though, despite everything else and, of all the things that he could have picked out wrong with the situation Zack had provided, he was wondering why Genesis would have been making a sandwich that early in the morning.

Zack made a face as his first story was rejected, but that would not deter him. Alright, so, maybe a pillow fight between the two incredibly powerful men was a bit of a stretch... but there was no accounting for the feathers that were spread across the kitchen floor.

His mind almost went back to a sacrificial rite, but he supposed that would have been a far stretch as well. Think! He had to think like a professional. Not some crazy mystery writer. Zack did another once over of the 'crime' scene as though a second or even third look might warrant some new clue. He pursed his lips and made obnoxious 'hm' noises while moving around and inspecting every spot. When he found blood droplets that lead out of the kitchen he jumped and pointed like a bloodhound that caught the trail.

"Ah ha!" Zack exclaimed, then dropped to all fours as he practically shoved his face into the carpet. "I've found something. This looks like... it looks like blood stains! Drops of 'em! All in a line, they appear to be leading somewhere..."

He scrambled across the ground with his face close to the floor, intent on keeping the trail. Never mind the fact that he looked absolutely ridiculous while doing it.

Angeal reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose, he could already feel a headache coming on, but he needed to remain calm. No one would benefit from him getting upset at the moment, least of all his friends and his student.

"Alright, Zack." He sighed, following the teenager to the bathroom.

There were bloody towels on the floor and it was obvious one of them had been injured. Sephiroth? Even the notion was impossible, but trying to picture Genesis injured was just as taxing and it still didn't explain the feathers.

Whoever it was, they had definitely been a SOLDIER. The smell of mako was undeniable. Or, Angeal's thoughts twisted, had they tried to save some poor creature from the lab? Neither men seemed the humanitarian type, but it made more sense than accepting the idea that either one of his friends had been injured. Still, he had to caution himself, if it had been a creature, why the sudden need to leave in secrecy, yet still take a company vehicle? Every idea his mind tried to come up with was immediately brushed aside as ridiculous because it simply didn't add up. Gaia, but if it could have been something that selfless, there shouldn't have been an issue in the first place. He really needed to work on his wishful thinking or Zack was beginning to rub off on him, and that idea was almost terrifying.

The infantryman stayed behind in the hall. Being in General Sephiroth and Commander Rhapsodos's apartment was bad enough. The idea of entering their bathroom just about made him lose control of his legs and fall to the ground. The fact that he was running around with Commander Hewely still hadn't seem to sink in. Not that the man was any less intimidating or awesome compared to Rhapsodos or Sephiroth, though for different reasons than the other two. No, if he had more time to think about it, he would have been just as paralyzed by the idea that Commander Hewley was tolerating his presence. But instead Zack's friend was running scenarios over in his head over the situation as well, piecing what he knew together, but still nothing he felt he could bring to the attention of the other's present. As it was, he assumed that he was currently barely being tolerated and wished to make his presence appear as meek as possible.

"Oh the horror!" Zack cried out, waving his arms animatedly as he saw the state of the bathroom.

Truthfully it had not been nearly as bad as he had first imagined. But then his mind had a tendency to overreact and embellish things with as much flair as he put into everything else. It only took an exasperated glance from Angeal to calm him down enough to start thinking things over once more, blue eyes darting from place to place as he puzzled over each new piece of the scene before them.

He was silent for several moments before snapping his fingers.

"Okay. I think I finally figured it out." He mumbled as he stared at the blood stains.

"There was an accident in the kitchen. Genesis was plucking the feathers from a chicken! And he was preparing to clean the thing when Sephiroth snuck up on him and startled him!" Zack gave a firm nod as he walked around the bathroom slowly.

"So! He gets this nasty cut and there is just blood and feathers everywhere because he is panicking, right?! And then Sephiroth starts to panic because there is so much blood! So what does he do? He picks him up and carries him here to the bathroom to fix him all up!"

Well, at least it wasn't as crazy as the pillow fight scenario.

Angeal was about ready to praise him for thinking something relatively normal when he noticed Zack opening his mouth again, as if he were not finished with his explanation. That sinking feeling welled up in the 1st Class SOLDIER's stomach once more, but before he could interrupt his student, Zack was speaking.

"And then... in the midst of all that terrifying panicking, Sephiroth realizes he could have lost Genesis, so he takes him by the hand - the one that isn't cut up - and asks him to elope with him! Because... Yeah, Company policies and stuff!"

"Zack! Where the hell do you come up with these things?!" Angeal snapped, eyeing his student incredulously. "Is this your idea of a joke? This is a serious investigation, not some over-the-top crime investigation television show."

"Hey!" Zack puffed out his cheeks as he folded his arms across his chest, looking rather obstinate, "CSI: Costa del Sol uses the most accurate information and investigation styles that any crime unit could use!"

Angeal took a deep breath, attempting to ignore Zack's insistence on referencing a television show that was over the top at best. It was true, however, that the second scenario was slightly more believable than the pillow fight. The idea that one of them had honestly been injured explained a few things, even if his mind still rejected such an idea, but not why they would have just taken off the way they had. In fact, he was about to point out the better parts of that picture when he heard a squeak from the back of the room.

The commander had almost forgotten about Zack's little tag along friend.

"They really did." The infantryman finally voiced as Angeal turned and leveled a stare at him.

"Did what?" His voice was calm, he was ever the fatherly type even if his nerves were shot.

"Went to get married! He said that's what they were doing but...but.. oh no." The poor cadet groaned.

"What are you talking about?' Angeal pushed, feeling a blossom of hope unfurl inside of him, despite his better judgment. The cadet looked absolutely ready to dart the second Angeal's gaze had fallen on him and so Angeal was forced to soften his features and give the young man the impression that he earnestly wished to hear him out.

"I...I..." The poor kid was shaking as he spoke, he looked paler already, but he didn't want to disappoint Commander Hewley, not when he saw the way the SOLDIER's expression had lit up briefly with hope. "I was working the gate when they left, Co...Commander Rhapsodos sa..s...a..id they were going to the Gold Saucer to get...married. General Sephiroth shot it down, said he was taking the Commander to Wutai."

"I was right!" Zack jumped a bit and pointed at his friend.

"Zack." Angeal spoke sternly before turning back to the cadet, his attention now only upon him. "Why didn't you say something before? And what's your name?"

The cadet shook a moment more, swallowing hard as he was put on the spot. "I...I...I didn't...I thought you would know...logs records…" He stuttered and backed up, shuffling his feet until he bumped back into a wall, the sudden contact startled him, but Angeal was there, reaching out to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't want to bother you with useless information." The cadet continued. With another slow movement he took off his helmet, feeling overwhelmed by its presence and sudden stuffiness it was providing. He had to take the damned thing off before he passed out, he was sweating from the stress so bad. When it was removed, it revealed a shocking head of bright blonde spikes and panicked, but open and innocent face with a set of intense blue eyes. "Strife, Sir, Cadet Cloud Strife." He replied with a shaky salute.

"I don't know much of anything right now." It was hard for Angeal to admit, "Anything you know is relevant by this point, since you have seen them leaving."

The blonde, who still looked like a deer caught in headlights, simply swallowed and nodded. "I was covering gate duty for a few hours the day they left. A guy in my unit had a meeting, so I offered to do the job. Gate duty is really easy or so I'd been told and it was for the most part until they pulled up. I didn't know what to do! I'd been specifically told not to let anyone without permission go, even General Sephiroth specifically! I really thought it had been a scare tactic, but then he pulled up without orders to leave. I tried to question him and that's when Commander Rhapsodos replied that they were running off to get married. I damn near panicked because I knew that wasn't a proper reason to leave, but I mean it was General Sephiroth and Commander Rhapsodos, how do you say no to them?"

Cloud was nearly hyperventilating while remembering the incident and Angeal reached over to rub the young cadet's back in an effort to get him to calm down. The blond gave him a brilliant, yet thankful smile, took a deep breath and continued on with his story. "That's when the General said he was taking the Commander to Wutai because he'd been neglecting his duties. I remember finding it odd that they were driving to Junon when a helicopter would have been quicker and that was when Sephiroth snapped at me. They had a good reason to leave so I just let them go after that. I figured I'd pushed my luck enough."

The cadet paused again, trying to think of the best place to start the rest of his story. Mind made up he looked back to Angeal. "I didn't see them again until we were on the ship. I was confused then too, I mean I had taken a transport helicopter to Junon and was on the same ship as them. It didn't make any sense, but it wasn't my duty to question them at this point, and my supervisor was happy enough with the log. I thought everything was fine until I bumped into Commander Rhapsodos. I tried to apologize, I didn't know who I'd run into at first. But then Sephiroth-" The blond closed his eyes and shuddered as he recalled that terrible event. "He really was going to kill me, I swear. But Commander Rhapsodos stopped him and told him it would do neither of them any good to kill cadets. When I was free, I just ran."

The energy just seemed to drain out of him at the reminder of all the stress and finally telling someone. "I don't know anything more than that, honestly. I mean I saw them get off the boat in Costa del Sol, but that's it."

When the blonde finished his story Angeal sighed. The cadet remembered things very clearly for the stress he had been under then and now. Something Angeal could appreciate.

"So you didn't see them after Costa del Sol?" The commander asked for clarification.

"No, no one did. At least as far as I know." Cloud was starting to calm down when it was clear that Commander Hewley was not going to threaten his life like Sephiroth had done. For that part the rumors were true at least.

Angeal sighed and turned his head, furrowing his brow in thought to dwell over these new pieces to the ever growing puzzle. Thickly muscled arms lifted to cross over his chest while he drew a hand up to grip his faintly whiskered chin. His mind was less distracted now that he had something solid to focus on, but as he began to lose himself in thought, he caught the glimpse of something stuck glaringly white against the dark tile floors. There was a piece of paper with a bloody boot print that caught his attention. He leaned over and picked it up, then looked closely at it. After a few seconds, his eyes started going wide. _'I'm sorry, I love you.' _was barely legible between the blood and the shaky scrawl, but Angeal could still identify it as his best friend's handwriting. He put the note in his pocket, taking a moment to let everything sink in while not allowing sudden panic to grip his gut.

"Something's wrong with Genesis." Angeal muttered, more to himself than his company, and his mind shot back to the last few months and how secretive and distant his friend had become. Still, he had more questions.

"I guess we're heading to Costa del Sol." The Commander stated to Zack and Cloud.

"Me too?" Cloud swallowed, starting to grow pale again and just when he had begun to catch his breath much more easily.

"Well, it seems you're part of this investigation now and the best source of information I've found. Yes, you're coming." Angeal was tired and getting too old for this.

Cloud just mutely nodded, not sure he liked the idea of hunting Sephiroth down.

"Hell yeah, you're comin'!" Zack grinned from ear to ear as he looked at Cloud, "Man, this is gonna be great for all of us!"

He paused for a moment, then shook his head, "Ah… well, maybe not so great. I mean... if Commander Genesis is in real trouble with Sephiroth, then this could get ugly... I hope it's just a misunderstanding."

His hopeful look was directed more at Angeal than Cloud. He could sense that his mentor was troubled by the news that his friend had revealed to them. Uncanny as it was to have the one person that would piece together the entire puzzle for them, Zack was beginning to realize this might be a little more serious than he first thought.

"What could 'cause a guy as strict as Sephiroth to just let something like this happen? I mean... if there is something wrong with Genesis..." He shook his head and sighed, then ran a hand through his spiky black locks, "No use standing around here, right? You think we could get a helicopter out that way? I don't think Lazard would want us to sit around on a boat for that long."

Angeal was glad that his student was beginning to understand the gravity of the situation. He gave him a reassuring smile and patted Zack on the shoulder. "I'm sure it is." he replied before he started to usher the pair out of the apartment. "I'll call him, and see about a helicopter."

Truthfully however he didn't know what to think. Angeal had no idea what on earth could be going on, or what his two friends were involved in that they could even share with him.

Slipping his hand into the pocket of his SOLDIER issue pants to retrieve his phone, a sudden urge to delete Sephiroth and Genesis's contacts coursed through him. He pushed it back down however, even if it would be practical since they no longer had their phones, the action would have been done out of anger and he truly wanted to give his friends a chance to explain why they had acted this way.

Condemning people when he didn't have all the facts was something Angeal simply didn't do. Friends or no. With a heavy sigh he speed dialed Lazard's office.

A few rings later the man's familiar voice was heard on the other end of the line. _"Director Lazard speaking." _

"Hello Director." Angeal spoke with a neutral tone.

"_I take it you are calling because you found something?" _The Director's voice sounded hopeful, the man really did hope that this would be resolved properly, not just for himself but for Genesis and Sephiroth.

Angeal hesitated for a moment, he hated disappointing people and he could respect Lazard's honesty, which made letting him down even worse. "Nothing concrete. I'd rather not speculate right now, but I do have a bit of a lead. That's why I'm calling. I need to get a helicopter, we need to fly to Costa del Sol."

"_Done, but one more thing." _ Lazard's tone was questioning, and Angeal held the phone in place to his ear. _"The cadet, why did you bring him with you? I've got Heidegger breathing down my neck. I don't mind covering for you, but I'd like to know the reason._"

Angeal brought a gloved hand to his face and sighed, he hated causing the other man more stress when he already had so much piling up. "Zack" came the simple reply as if it answered all the questions in the universe. "But it turned into a good thing. Came to find out that he was the one working the gate the day Genesis and Sephiroth left, AND, ran into them _(literally _Angeal thought) on the boat taking them to Junon. He's been incredibly helpful."

Lazard was silent for a moment, thinking, before he replied again. _"Alright then, I'll tell him you needed him for your investigation. He'll demand details__,__ I'm sure since it concerns one of "his men"__,__ but I can placate him, at least longer than I can the Turks. Just be careful and Angeal-_" The man paused as if hesitant.

"Yes Sir?" Angeal asked, eager to get on his way.

"_Don't let this turn into a case of three missing SOLDIERs__,__ please." _The man's voice sounded pleading as he ended the call with those words. Angeal realized as he stared at the phone that Lazard had to be terrified that he would join his friends when he found them. The possibility was there, he couldn't deny it, but at the same time he wasn't a man to shake his responsibilities so easily and, with Genesis and Sephiroth gone, he was the only one left to pick up the slack.

"I won't." He answered even though the other man couldn't hear him and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

He was tired, but this wouldn't wait until morning. 15 minutes later found them standing on the roof of the Shinra build boarding the chopper that would take them to Costa. Cloud still stood nervously. This was the biggest thing the blond had ever been involved in. Once they were seated, Cloud looked over at Zack, biting his lip. "Please, please, if we find them, don't tell Sephiroth it was me on the ship. He wanted to kill me. I'm sure he would, too."

Zack buckled himself in just barely in time to avoid tumbling out of his chair as the helicopter lurched in take off. He flailed a bit and caught hold of a handle to grip onto before puffing out his cheeks. Flying was fun as hell for him, but there were moments, especially when coming into a hot zone, that he would have rather kept his feet on the ground.

As Cloud's words finally registered with him over the distraction of the rotors turning loudly, he offered his friend a lopsided grin.

"Aw, come on, as if Seph would do that! They were probably just in a hurry or something and you caught him at a bad time. I don't think he'd really kill you, man. Genesis... though... uhh... I could see him flinging a fireball if it got bad enough..."

The blond cadet whimpered a bit before placing his head in his hands. "No, you weren't there. He really was going to kill me after I ran into Commander Rhapsodos!" He cried. "The commander was the one that saved me." Cloud knew the rumors well, but it really had seemed to be a reverse.

"What?!" Zack cried out, completely shocked by that revelation from Cloud, "That's backwards. Like completely criss-cross! You don't know how many times I've had to dodge a fireball from Genesis 'cause I bumped into him or said somethin' stupid that he didn't like! Sephiroth was always the one to yank him back before I got killed!"

Zack made a face and shook his head slowly and just sighed, "Wow... this is really confusing..."

Angeal expression didn't change. But the news was not promising. There were few times that Sephiroth had been "Overprotective" of Genesis and his friend never tolerated it well. If the General was jumpy over someone just running into the redhead, then how bad were things?

* * *

3 internets to whoever correctly guessed the identity of the poor trooper.


	11. Pursuit

One more chapter with Angeal and the gang before we switch back. Please leave a review- DHT and darksargonas.

* * *

They weren't in the air ten minutes and the poor blonde was asleep. He apparently had a talent that the rest of the world would envy in being able to tune out Zack's relentless chatter. Angeal just had to smile however, he could tell his student was trying to cheer him up. The story of Kunsel and the cockatrice again and, while Angeal did find it amusing, it didn't keep him from his own thoughts.

The honorable First had always been Genesis's friend from near the first day they met. Angeal had remembered thinking Genesis was likely stuck up. All rich kids were, right? But even then he had held his tongue when he'd come across the boy in one of his family's dumbapple orchards. What he'd discovered was a small boy desperate for attention and longing for a friend, oddly not unlike Sephiroth when they'd first met him later.

The protectiveness he felt towards the ginger didn't come for years later however. Genesis had been thirteen, Angeal himself only twelve at the time. Some things were destined to be scarred into your memory and the image of Genesis sitting in his room holding that knife as blood dripped down his arm was one of those things for the raven.

Angeal shouldn't have been there, his father was supposed to be leaving for work and the young boy had been allowed to go for the first time. He'd been so excited about it and Genesis had smiled at him before they'd parted the day before. There was no way he could have known something was wrong with his friend at the time.

But then his dad had gotten sick and the trip had been cancelled. Angeal had rushed over to Genesis's house to see his friend and let him know he wasn't going after all. Mr. and Mrs. Rhapsodos had been out, to this day Angeal didn't know or care where, but the ginger had been alone and would have been all day.

He would have been dead if Angeal's trip hadn't been cancelled and the broken look in his eyes and the tears mixed with blood, it was a picture burnt into his mind forever. Genesis had come and stayed with the Hewelys for a week after that and, when he returned, his parents almost seemed _disappointed_. The ginger had become closer to the man he was today, quick to anger, obsessive and a bit narcissistic. Try as he might though, Angeal could never get past the image of the broken boy and so he'd sworn to protect his friend no matter how irritating he got at times.

Things had been good for Genesis these past few years, especially where Sephiroth was concerned, and Angeal knew he practically had no contact with his parents, who never even seemed to want a son.

But there had been signs, the First thought, as he closed his eyes. Genesis had been moody, secretive and more agitated lately. Angeal had assumed it was because the ginger thought he was being held back, which was partially true. But then he'd gotten his chance with the Mission to Wutai and turned it down in favor of a 'surprise' for Sephiroth.

The blood, the state of the apartment and the quick departure from ShinRa. All of these things painted a very dark picture. Angeal couldn't help but wonder if Sephiroth's surprise hadn't been a scene similar to the one he'd walked into all those years ago. He wondered how Genesis could have ever spoken so affectionately of the 'surprise' in such a way, then pull this off. It was disturbing in so many ways. In the end, though, it would have certainly explained everything they had found and the behavior of his two friends. Sephiroth's over protective nature and Genesis's calm, even subdued demeanor. If he had tried to take his own life and got caught by the General…

Angeal shuddered faintly at the thought of how that scene must have played out. Sephiroth was still detached from many human emotions, it would have likely traumatized the man. But in this case, Angeal was almost grateful his socially awkward friend wouldn't have enough experience to question why Genesis would do something like that, when he thought they were living happily. The blow to Sephiroth's pride would have been irreparable and it would have certainly strained their relationship. It might still if they were left alone long enough to give the man a chance to think about it. Angeal truly didn't want either of them to be alone with such a thing.

However, while the thought that Genesis might honestly have tried to take his life again made him sick, he was glad to know that the man was still alive and that Sephiroth seemed to be taking care of him. Whatever instincts the General had, they had triggered quickly enough to get them moving. If it was a case of Genesis snapping, under pressure or something else darker, he knew Sephiroth had enough personal experience with dealing with such emotions to help their friend. There was a lot under the surface that Sephiroth tried to hide, but Angeal could tell there was a scarred individual beneath all that apparent perfection. It was love, not duty, that had made the Silver General act so hastily and, in the end, no matter the reason, Angeal could forgive them for forgetting him in their haste. After all, it really was the Silver General's place to take care of Genesis now, even if Angeal had a bit of a hard time giving it up.

Still, he felt the need to talk to Genesis, a deep guilt settled over him that he'd missed the signs before now. He had to find a way to make it up to him and help him. Help them both, really. After all, it would only be a short time before Sephiroth and Genesis were at each other's throats with disagreements, even with a tragedy like this between them. It was simply the nature of how they were at their very core. Both so proud and so headstrong. Neither one willing to show a single sign of weakness. Neither one allowing themselves to become vulnerable and let themselves be taken care of. It was unspeakable to think that Genesis or Sephiroth would ever be willing to give up that much control and let one or the other get ahead. Not that it had to be that way to make their relationship perfect. They simply didn't know where to stop and become satisfied.

Angeal sighed and lifted a hand to rub at his brow slowly. The sound of the helicopter's rotors churning through the air finally came back to the foreground of his thoughts. It was all so exhausting to think about and there was so much in the way of complications. He looked over to see Zack and Cloud. The cadet was still asleep and Zack was staring at him with a concerned expression.

It was rare that he ever saw the puppy looking so serious, it was enough to bring a smile to his lips, which immediately caused Zack's features to soften. How long had his student been staring at him? It must have been a while. Angeal hadn't even noticed when Zack stopped talking.

"We will be hitting Junon in a few minutes." Angeal called out over the noise.

Zack gave an animated nod and even grinned, the fire in his eyes returning immediately. It was difficult not to get swept up in Zack's enthusiasm and the gods knew Angeal needed Zack's eternal optimism more than anything. Some days he questioned why he ever took the boy on, but in moments like this, Angeal couldn't be bothered to feel any regrets over the decision. The only thing that worried him was the fact that, on the coldest nights, Angeal found himself wondering if perhaps he didn't care for Zack a little too much in ways he knew he shouldn't.

At least the puppy was happily oblivious and eager to learn.

Barren wastelands slowly started exchanging scenery for warehouse buildings on the outskirts of the port town. Cloud began to stir as they neared Junon. H was just happy he didn't have to spend the trip on a boat. Otherwise he would have likely spent the entire time in his cabin. Sleeping through something like his motion sickness was near impossible and had plagued the poor cadet throughout his training. It was the biggest reason why he felt he might never make it into SOLDIER. A little frustrating to know that something that small could crush your hopes and dreams.

Once they were refueled and back in the air, it was Zack's turn to pass out, leaning over snoring and drooling on Cloud's shoulder. It was an amusing sight given the situation, but it also left Cloud relatively alone with Angeal. Nervously the blond looked at the Commander and asked: "Do you know the General and Commander Rhapsodos well?"

Angeal looked at the small cadet, putting up with Zack as the raven-haired 2nd slumped over a little further, and searched for the reason behind the question. He smiled a bit before looking away. It seemed the boy was honestly curious and attempting to be polite. Breaking the ice, as they say. Angeal let out a small sigh before finally answering. "They are my friends. I've known Genesis since we were kids."

"Oh." Cloud replied, honestly surprised, but then he thought about Tifa and if this was her they were going after, he knew he would have felt just as conflicted as he was certain Angeal was. "I'm sorry. I hope everything's alright."

"I'm sure it will be." Angeal muttered, though his earlier thoughts circled in his head a bit, making him seem a little distracted.

For some reason it seemed easier to talk after that and the raven haired man discovered why Zack had taken to the small trooper so well. There was an honesty and vulnerability that just stood out and made you want to protect the poor kid. Something that was so hard to find in Midgar.

The last half of the flight went quicker than the first, something Angeal was glad for and before he knew it, Cloud was shaking Zack awake as he was stepping out into the warm air of the resort town.

As Cloud roused him, Zack started abruptly and jumped to his feet.

"I wasn't sleepin' on the job!" He burst out with, then noted both of them were already disembarking and waiting on him. "Uh... oh... sorry."

The raven-haired SOLDIER gave a nervous chuckle and ran a hand through his spiky hair before jumping down to meet them. He honestly never slept during the rides before, but that meal had been heavy and he just couldn't keep his eyelids open to save himself. At least the ride had been a smooth one. He was beginning to worry about Angeal flying the helicopter when the man had had very little rest recently.

"So... where should we start?" Zack prompted, pushing to stand beside his mentor and new best friend.

At the question from his student Angeal turned to Cloud with an inquiring expression. "Any idea?" He asked.

The blond, who seemed a bit more relaxed around the Commander thanks to the flight, just shook his head. "No, sorry, no one saw them after we got off the ship." He had a bit of guilt to his tone for not knowing anymore. He really wanted to help Angeal and Zack at this point.

"It's alright." Angeal muttered, placing a hand on Cloud's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze to reassure him. "We'll start with the inn and see if they checked in and move on from there." He sighed, taking a look around. It really was too bright out. Especially for the mood he was in.

Cloud just nodded and followed Angeal. The group made their way to the inn reserved for Shinra. The place smelled of coconuts and sunscreen, and there were garish paintings of sunsets on the beach and other things that Cloud supposed tourists would like. To him it was just too hot as he removed his helmet again and brushed a bit of sweat covered locks out of his eyes. The salt from his skin mixing with his sweat got into his eyes, despite his best efforts and he was soon rubbing them with a faint groan as that annoying sting came on. As if things weren't bad enough! Now he was going to look like he had been crying for no apparent reason!

Angeal approached the counter and a young woman in a bikini top, a short skirt and flip flops greeted them with a voice that was far too perky. Her smile seemed genuine, but the 1st had seen his friend pull off such a feat countless times before and, with his current disposition, it left him doubting the authenticity. Yes certain, things could even make Angeal a bit jaded. Still, the woman seemed truly happy to interact with people and he really couldn't help but be reminded of his student.

"Hello! Welcome to the Emerald Palms! What can I do for you?" She asked, dipping down to grab the ledger. "Our suite reserved for Shinra officers is currently open!" The woman was far too perky with pink pigtails that weren't exactly natural looking.

"No, we're not here to stay, I'm sorry." Angeal apologized, offering a weak smile as he greeted her in return, he parted his lips, prepared to ask her a question, however he was interrupted.

"Terrible thing! The waves are beautiful this month." The girl replied, cutting the commander off.

"I'm afraid my lady, I'm here to inquire about a couple of guests you may have had in the last month or so." The raven haired man asked kindly, it wasn't this woman's fault he was frustrated and he refused to take it out on her, even as he found himself less and less inclined to endure small talk.

"Uh, I'm afraid I can't reveal any of our guests, it's against company policy to pull out the records. I'm sorry." The woman replied with bit of a pout. "I could still get you a room though, so it's not a wasted trip!"

Angeal sighed, resisting the urge to yell at the young woman. Once again, having to remind himself that this wasn't her fault. He understood how the policies went, it was just business and she was merely doing her job, even if it was making his own that much more difficult.

But he had something he might try. "Well, I don't think you'd need the records. I imagine you'd remember them." The commander stated. "You see, I'm looking for some friends of mine. General Sephiroth and Commander Rhapsodos."

"No way!" She squealed.

It seemed that the woman obviously believed him, which was a good thing. He wasn't sure how he would prove that they were indeed his friends. He wasn't nearly as well known as even Genesis was, who still paled in comparison to Sephiroth. He supposed there was that one picture taken on his PHS, after Zack had snatched the thing from him and forced the three famous men to pose together.

"They were here a few weeks ago! Just for a night!" She giggled. "I remember asking for autographs, but they were in a bit of a hurry."

It was obvious that the girl was reliving the experience and wasn't likely to give him anything else without prompting. "Do you know where they went?"

The counter girl looked nearly startled at being addressed again and shook her head before remembering something. "They were looking for Chocobos!" She yelped out excitedly. "Pointed them just south of town. There's a stable that rents them out to tourists."

Another sigh left Angeal's lips and he nodded. "Thank you." He replied before turning to leave.

A wild goose chase, that is what this was starting to feel like, and he was certain there were a few more things they could have prompted to get out of her, except he really didn't know how to go about it. Zack would have been perfect for the job, likely distracting her with chatter and getting her to relax her guard enough to 'share gossip' with him and inadvertently reveal a few more details, however… With one glance at his student Angeal knew it would be a bad idea.

Zack had been too busy checking the girl out to really be of any use, if he had opened his mouth, it likely would have gone a completely different direction and they might have ended up thrown out into the street. There was no subtle way to have told Zack what he needed from him, and he was certain the boy would have been too obvious about his attempts, as he lacked the experience and know-how of subtlety in these sorts of situations. However, once the conversation was finished and Zack sensed Angeal was ready to move out, he proved to at least manage hearing _some _parts of the questions. It was admirable, really, what with all those teenage hormones getting in the way.

"Gen and Seph know how to ride chocobos?!" He cried out as he pushed through the doors to the road. There was that giggle from the girl behind them before the doors slammed shut, leaving them to the busy streets once more. "Man. You learn something new every day, I guess... so uh... next stop to that place where they rent chocobos?"

Angeal nodded at Zack. "Yes, usually there is some paperwork and what not involved, we may be able to figure out where they went from there." He sighed a bit, the offer of a room at the inn was ever so tempting, but they'd lost too much ground already.

They made their way through the streets, Cloud silently following behind the Commander and his student. He had to agree with Zack on some level though, he really couldn't picture the great General Sephiroth riding around on a chocobo. Zack had dropped back to walk beside him once more and he had stuffed his helmet back on, just to prevent an uncomfortable questioning. Cloud was certain that his eyes were bloodshot from all the rubbing he had just did to get the salty-sweat to stop from stinging them. The last thing his pride needed was a misplaced pep-talk to make him feel better over his 'nerves'.

When they arrived at the shop, Angeal was almost relieved to find an elderly gentleman waiting for him rather than the perky girl at the inn. Too many of those and Angeal might have started trying to tear his hair out. The stable owner took a moment to finish tending to the bird he had been working with before approaching the counter. It gave the raven haired man a chance to look around. There were saddles and feed bins all around, as well as several different chocobos. Most were yellow, but there were even a few white, green and blue. Though no gold or black in sight. Not surprising how rare those breeds happened to be.

When the man walked up, brushing a bit of graying hair out of his eyes, he offered Angeal a smile. "What can I do for you boys?" He asked, pleasant enough, but it was obvious that he was tired and just putting on a face for his customers. Right now Angeal could relate.

Zack, in the meantime, made a straight line for the stalls and was busy looking over every single chocobo as if he'd just wandered into a candy store. He was making a show of petting each and every one, cackling madly or using 'baby talk'. He couldn't help it! Chocobos were awesome and he hadn't really gotten to see many of them since joining Shin-Ra's army and the SOLDIER program.

He turned away after inspecting every chocobo to make sure they were 'in top shape', according to his own standards after suddenly becoming an expert in veterinary care. He spotted Cloud and Angeal talking to the owner and decided that they didn't need his help. Good. He had chocobos that were clearly in need of affection to deal with.

"I'm actually looking for some information on a couple of friends of mine." The 1st Class SOLDIER asked politely, ignoring Zack as he ran off, though he doubted acquiring it would be as easy as it had been at the inn.

"Afraid I don't give out information on customers and all, I'm sure a strapping young man from Shinra can appreciate that." The man replied but he still hadn't moved away from the counter.

Anyone would have been a fool to think someone from ShinRa would leave it at just that. It was never quite that simple with politics and it was obvious that Angeal was there for a reason.

Cloud just watched the look on the commander's face fell. He really wanted to help him and so walked up to the counter himself. "Please sir, it's really important we find them." The blonde begged, which earned him a small smile for Angeal.

Normally, such words would have only harmed an investigation, as one was never supposed to let the party with information know just how desperate you were to get it. It could often make the exchange more difficult and expensive to procure. Of course, that was assuming you were dealing with less than savory types and, though the stable owner was a bit tired, he didn't look like he was ready to make a gil off of ShinRa by giving them a hard time. Besides of which, it was clear that Angeal and the two he came with were military and not Turks.

"Hmm." The old man crossed his arms, looking at the pair. He seemed to stare at Angeal for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't normally do this, but if my daughter found out I let Commander Hewely here down, she'd have my head." He laughed.

"I'll tell you what I know, but mind if I ask for an autograph? Her birthday is next week and it would just make her year, I'm sure." The man asked. He was a businessman after all.

Angeal rubbed his hand on his face, wondering if it was luck or something else that he had ran into such a person that actually recognized him. "Alright." It was one quick autograph and truly he didn't mind, especially since it meant he would get what he needed out of the man.

A quick signature later and the man turned back to Angeal. "I'm not daft enough not to know who you're talking about." The old man admitted. "They were through here several weeks ago. Rented a pair of yellow girls and paid extra to avoid the normal paperwork. I mean it was General Sephiroth, I figured if he really wanted to he'd of just taken 'em anyway. The only thing I can tell ya for sure is that they headed inland. Can't say I'm surprised someone's after them. They certainly had something to hide."

It wasn't what Angeal had wanted to hear, but he couldn't fault the man. "Thank you. Wish your daughter a Happy Birthday for me?" He offered, which brought a smile to the man's lips before walking out of the shop.

He would allow Cloud to collect Zack for the moment, as he needed fresh air. There wasn't much else he could have done by this point, all the roads they found dead-ended even before they had a chance to begin, he knew his friends could be thorough, but he never imagined they would have taken the time to do this. He needed some time to think and finding a bench to sit down on while he did it was a good idea. Luckily for him, there was one nearby and he collapsed into it.

Zack absently patted one chocobo lightly on the neck as he leaned against a stall. A few minutes in study and he was suddenly guffawing. This chocobo look familiar and he knew why! Cloud! His hair was blond and spiky and, until he'd been spending time with these chocobos, he hadn't realized how familiar those spikes had been! A hand lifted to smack himself in the face before he shook his head.

"I shoulda known!" He groaned.

He was about to approach Cloud and give him the 'good news' before a quick glance at Angeal's form, departing from the stables, dampened any plans of his. The look on his mentor's face spoke gravely and he mellowed out pretty quickly in the face of it.

Cloud looked a little confused as well, having switched his gaze from where Angeal had just left back to Zack and so on. Zack offered his friend a smile and grabbed him by the arm, then dragged him out to catch up with his mentor. There was no way he would leave Angeal alone for long.

"So uh..." He mumbled uselessly, not quite sure what to say to lighten the mood. "So what do we do now?" Zack finally asked.

The words. "I don't know." were no sooner out of Angeal's mouth when his phone rang.

Angeal answered it after fumbling around with it as he tried to remove it from its holster, then sat up straight, listening to Lazard, the director's voice filtering through the phone. _"Angeal, I'm not sure where you are, but I was going over some reports and missions requests and I have a paper on my desk asking me to sign off on expenses incurred by Commander Rhapsodos at the general store in a mountain town called Nibelheim, not one week ago." _Angeal was back on his feet in a moment, the fast movement of sitting then standing might have been comical in a different situation. "They've been spotted?" He asked to make sure, as he started walking back towards the helicopter motioning for the other two to follow.

"_I don't have a visual confirmation, but it's the right continent."_

"Alright, heading that way now." Angeal replied before hanging up, it was the only lead they currently had and it synced well with the stableman's claim that they had headed inward. With that he turned to Zack and Cloud. "They've been reported in a mountain town about 3 days travel from here."

"Three days?" Cloud asked stopping a bit. "You mean Nibelheim?" he blurted out, eyes going wide.

"Yes, that's it, do you know the place?" Angeal asked, looking back at the blonde.

"It's my home." He mumbled quietly.

"Then I guess it's even better that you're with us." The commander smiled again at the cadet. "Now come on, we've got a lot of ground to cover."

The blonde just nodded and followed the other man as Angeal began walking briskly back towards the helicopter. It all seemed to be going so quickly, he had hardly any time to grasp at each new moment as it arrived. How anyone could live like this on a day to day basis was beyond Cloud, but then again, he supposed it wasn't everyday that two of the most important figures in ShinRa's army just walk out on you.

"Wait... they went to your hometown? Why the heck would they go there?! What's in that place anyway?" Zack blurted out, cornering his friend suddenly with a hundred questions after he had caught up.

Cloud just turned to Zack and shrugged. "I don't know, I mean there's a reactor there but nothing too special. And the creepy old mansion, but it has been abandoned even before I was born. I don't know what they could possibly want in Nibelheim."

Angeal was just as confused as Cloud was, but didn't comment on it. He'd never heard of the town before and, as far as he knew, his friends hadn't either. However, it was rather remote, and Sephiroth might have thought it was a good place to get Gen away from everything.

Tiredly he prepped the helicopter for flight. It had been at least 48 hours since he'd slept and it would likely be 48 more before he was able to rest. It didn't matter however, he had a mission and he'd gone longer without sleep.

The flight to Nibelheim was quiet, mostly due to both Cloud and Zack passing out. The commander kept his focus, still trying to piece together what Genesis and Sephiroth were thinking. He'd never felt so left in the dark the entire time he'd known the pair. Even their relationship hadn't been kept secret from him, as he could still clearly remember the ginger's confession after he had first slept with the Silver General. If Genesis had really tried to take his own life, why hadn't Sephiroth contacted him for help after all this time? Never mind the fact that they had ditched their PHS's in the ocean, they could have easily acquired new ones by now and it wasn't as if they didn't know his number!

Another sigh escaped his lips as he rubbed his eyes. It was a few hours flight from Costa del Sol to their destination and he needed to save what energy he had to make sure he landed safely. All the forethought in the world wouldn't do them a single ounce of good if they crashed into Nibelheim.

There was a light dusting of snow on the ground, even though fall had just began. The homes seemed oddly stacked together with the architecture unique to the area. Smoke was rising from nearly every chimney and a water tower stood tall in the middle of the town. Dirt paths crisscrossed the small village, not surprising since the idea of paving streets or even delivering gravel for their roads seemed a rather daunting and pointless task even if a reactor had been built here.

A few eyes gazed up at the bird in the air and Angeal had to wonder how calm the sight seemed to be for the remote town. In an emergency no doubt a helicopter would be far more practical than navigating the steep mountain roads.

When he was finally able to land the helicopter, he just sat in his seat. Leaning his head back against the head rest, he took a moment to relax. He looked back to find Zack and Cloud leaning on each other. He was tired, but there was still a lot of work to be done. He twisted around, shaking Cloud first, then his student. "Come on now, it's time to go."

Blue eyes free of mako glow blinked up at him first as Cloud shifted out of his seat. "We're here already?" He asked, a bit of trepidation in his voice. The only other person who sounded so upset to be home had been Genesis. A frown crossed Angeal's lips at that, knowing full well what the ginger had been put through and wondering what had happened to the blonde to give him a similar reaction. Explanations would have to wait for now however.

Zack started awake, darting out of his chair and taking a defensive position immediately, "Who what?! How dare you challenge a SOLDIER!"

Well at least his enthusiasm was impossible to get rid off, even if he looked a bit bleary-eyed. When his imaginary foes disappeared, however, he looked around in confusion, nearly forgetting that they had someplace else to be. A hand lifted to push through his messy black spikes before turning to squint at Angeal and Cloud.

"So this is Nibelheim? Kinda chilly. And small. Man, my home town was at least a little warmer while it was practically deserted… I mean compared to Midgar!" He gave a huff and shoved his hands into his pockets, "So uh... they made mention of where they'd been spotted? Holy shit- IS THAT SNOW?!"

As per normal, Zack was a million questions and all energy the second he regained consciousness. Angeal had, however, never noted the fact that Zack might have never seen snow before. Given the young man's reaction, he would have to say this was a first. On any other day, Angeal might have taken the time to enjoy it, but today it was simply another distraction. He was about reprimand Zack when he suddenly felt himself pelted by a rather poorly made snowball. Instead of getting angry, the 1st actually felt all of his tension bleed away from shock. He blinked several times and finally zoned in to the sound of Zack laughing. Cloud looked absolutely mortified, but it was all Angeal could do to keep a straight face. He couldn't hold it back for long, however, Zack's laughter was infectious, and soon he was laughing with him.

Zack was absolutely happy he could take such a dour moment and turn it into something light-hearted for his mentor. The man needed it and Zack was eternally optimistic. He had to be, because the alternative would just add even more pain, leaving Angeal in a bad spot, and he wasn't sure he could forgive either men for hurting Angeal like this, if they were willing to do that to someone like him. Angeal was a good man, an even better teacher, and he had no doubts that he was the best kind of friend anyone like Genesis or Sephiroth could ask for. It'd be pretty damn rotten in his book if they threw him under the bus for all of this. Never mind the more personal feelings he had about the whole thing and how it pissed him off to no end that anyone would hurt Angeal.

Cloud had to agree with Angeal, it was hard to remain so down trodden with Zack acting so carefree. However, as he reflected on his friend's earlier question, the cadet's mood shifted back again. The truth was that he really hadn't wanted to return to Nibelheim so soon. He'd sworn that he wouldn't come home until he made SOLDIER, but fate seemed to have swept him up in a hunt for the two most powerful men on the planet. It was an odd set of circumstances to be sure, but it didn't mean he was ready to face his hometown that had thought so little of him.

Angeal calmed down after a few moments and brushed the melting snow from his form, turning to regard Cloud. This was the boy's hometown, after all, and he was certain that the cadet would be excited to have a chance to return. After all, it could be years before any soldier would get the chance to take some leave time to visit family, ShinRa was pretty strict about the tours of duty they made their soldiers take, especially with the war. He was surprised, however, to see the dark look on Cloud's face instead.

The blonde was always a bit quiet, but this didn't seem to be the comfortable silences the boy usually inhabited, nor an awkward silence where Cloud just didn't know what to say, or didn't feel as if he had the right to say something. This silence was more similar to the brooding nature Sephiroth often displayed, especially after his fights with Genesis, and it disturbed Angeal more than he was willing to admit. He hadn't known the blonde long, but such a disposition seemed horribly wrong on him.

He pushed the thought aside however to answer his student's question. "Genesis was logged at the local general store." Angeal explained. "They aren't staying at the inn however, so we're not sure where they are exactly."

"The mansion." Cloud muttered, maybe he wouldn't have to spend much time actually in town after all. He perked up a bit at the thought. Maybe no one would have to know he was home after all. Especially if he wore the helmet.

"It would be a good place to start. We don't have a lot of time, but you could stop in and see your mother if you want." Angeal offered, he knew trips home were rare in Shinra. It had been ages since he'd seen his own mother.

"No, that's ok." Cloud replied with a shake of his head. As much as he would like to have seen the woman, Angeal had been stressed and pressed for time as it was. The fact he wasn't quite ready to face her or his neighbor, that factored in as well. No, the quicker they could do what they needed to do here and get home, the better for all of them.

Angeal just watched Cloud and held back a small sigh. He hated assuming things, but to him it was obvious that the cadet hadn't had a good childhood. The 1st Class SOLDIER had seen enough of the signs both in his best friend and in several of the younger men. In fact he'd had his hands so full with Genesis, Sephiroth and lingering childhood trauma that one of the deciding factors in picking Zack as his student had been the obviously happy upbringing.

Not that his student hadn't brought a plethora of new problems into his life, but it was refreshing and nothing he couldn't handle. Plus he wouldn't trade his hyperactive puppy for anything at this point.

Though had Zack been the reason he'd missed Genesis's possible depression? A bit of guilt settled over him at the thought. If he hadn't taken Zack as a student, would he be out there with his friends right now?

"Alright then." He finally replied, accepting Cloud's reluctance to take advantage of this trip home, and pushed the darker thoughts to the back of his mind for the time being. "Do you know the way to the mansion or do we need to find a guide?" He asked the cadet.

"I know how to get there." Cloud acknowledged. Not wanting to offer up that he knew how to get there if only because he'd used it as a hiding place in his youth. Someplace the other kids weren't willing to go.

"Then I'll take the lead, just tell me where to go. Zack, you bring up the rear." Angeal ordered.

"Yes sir." Cloud replied and proceeded to do just that. Taking them on a path around the town. It would be quicker he knew, if just because they would avoid the town's gossip. Angeal at least didn't seem to mind.

"Awwwww maaaaan." Zack groaned, stomping his foot as he fell in behind the other two, "In the rear with the damned gear." He quoted with a sour expression, "Like basic training all over again."

He fell silent soon enough, though, as his broody grumbling gave way to curiosity. Half-way up the road, he caught a smell that made his stomach rumble unexpectedly. The sweet, smoky scent of firewood burning. Always smelled like a barbecue, even if it was just a simple log in a fireplace. It had always driven him nuts and made him hungry.

"Oh man. You guys smell that? Is someone smoking some meat around here? Is that hickory?! I swear that's hickory. Damn, my mouth is waterin' already!" Leave it to Zack to distract himself, even while on a mission.

Cloud just looked at Zack, seeming to do better since they'd moved further away from the actual town. He hadn't quite picked up on the scent that the SOLDIER's enhancements could, but he would soon enough. "It's probably some hunters. We get people passing through the mountains, hunting the wildlife, clearing out the wolves. As long as they avoid the-" He was cut off

"That's not a campfire." Angeal expressed as he caught wind of what Zack was talking about. He had smelt plenty of fire over the years, thanks to Genesis, and there were other things mixed with the hickory smell. There was almost a chemical nature to some of it and just solidified in his mind that Genesis had been here. Fire was always a sign of his friend.

"Are we close to the mansion?" Angeal asked Cloud, trying to stay calm.

"Yes." The boy nodded, before he could have much more of a thought he found himself lifted up into heavy arms and held tightly to a firm chest. They started to fly up the rocky mountain road, faster than Cloud knew he could go on his own.

"Hey.. HEY! What the- what!" Zack flailed wildly before he took up behind Angeal at that neck-breaking pace.

Genesis had to be close and was possibly in trouble if the mansion was burning. Angeal ran, knowing that Zack would be right behind him. The fact that he had the forethought to pick up Cloud was amazing or the energy for this little outburst of speed.

His face fell however as he was forced to realize the truth of the situation after reaching the source of the fire.

What was likely once a grand manor was nothing more than ash and burnt timbers. Distractedly, he sat Cloud down as he sighed. Genesis wasn't here and neither was Sephiroth, but they _had_ been. Genesis's unique smoky scent was all but lost among the fire, but Sephiroth's, who never seemed to shake the smell of the labs he had been brought up in, or the supple leather he adorned himself with, lingered.

"What'd you get that I di- whoo-oah..." Zack skidded to a stop as he surveyed the wreckage of the once-mansion.

He had never been here before, of course, so he had honestly no idea just how big the place really was, but even with most of it collapsed in on itself, he imagined the place must have been impressive. A hand lifted to run through his hair as he gaped slowly.

"So uh... Somethin' tells me Genesis had something to do with this fire... I mean.. if they spotted him down at the store..." Zack furrowed his eyebrows and looked around, trying in vain to capture a glimpse of a clue. "This really blows. The more we uncover, the worse it looks..."

Angeal just glanced over at his student, exhaustion showing through, there was no hiding it now. They had come all this way for nearly nothing it seemed, just another dead end. The mansion was a wreck and it wasn't safe to acquire any clues to where they might have gone, if anything was left at all. It was obvious to him that the burning of the mansion had been a way to cover their tracks. Which meant that they had known they'd been spotted.

It also meant that his dearest friends didn't want to be found, not even by him. The knowledge stung, but he had to believe there was a good reason for it, even one he didn't understand. Frustration gave way to weariness as he looked at Cloud who was gazing at the mansion with wide eyes. The structure good or bad had been around for him his whole life, a change like that could be... shocking.

As he walked around the remains, something caught Angeal's eye. Slowly he bent down, picking up a single black feather among the dozen or so on the ground. "Its identical." he muttered to himself, confusion growing he placed the feather in his pocket alongside the note he'd recovered from Genesis and Sephiroth's apartment. With that he tiredly made his way back around to the front of the former mansion.

His eyes fell back to Zack and he sighed, he wasn't sure where they were going from here.

Zack paused to look Angeal over, who was on the verge of collapsing, even to the point that he had forgotten he still had one hand on Cloud and seemed to be using the boy as a means to hold himself up. The younger raven haired SOLDIER swallowed back a bit of unaccustomed jealousy from the sight and shook his head slowly. Zack had never seen his mentor looking so worn out and it had to have been more than just the physical exertion by this point. Not that he was that much of an idiot to not assume his worry over Sephiroth and Genesis wasn't having a huge impact. Zack frowned and felt anger welling up in the pit of his stomach. This was too much. Angeal deserved so much better.

"What the hell!? They couldn't have just left a stupid note or something for you!? HOW HARD COULD THAT BE GUYS?! THIS IS YOUR BEST FRIEND RIGHT HERE!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as he stomped closer to the wreckage and kicked a smoldering piece of wood.

"Stupid inconsiderate- wha - ...!" Zack was interrupted when he heard the roar of helicopter blades slicing through the air, only to look up in time to see another chopper with Shin-Ra's logo passing over head. "Shit." He mumbled under his breath, knowing with a sinking feeling that things must have gotten out of hand for the Director back in Midgar.

He turned to offer Angeal a hopeful look, despite himself. Anything to keep the other man going. He sure as hell wasn't going to fail him, even if his instincts were yelling at him to run, flailing after the helicopter screeching 'No no no no! Go away!'.

The helicopter overhead had been the nail in the coffin, it was true that he hadn't even realized that he was still standing because of the young blonde at his side, silently offering support. He didn't even have the energy to reprimand Zack for his outburst. It was true, he thought, they could have at least tried to contact him. Something to let him know they were alright.

Of course the possibility that they weren't, as unlikely as it was, loomed over his head. He still couldn't make much sense of it. What on earth was so bad that they would alienate him? If Genesis had tried to take his life, was he ashamed? Angeal would never have treated Genesis bad over it, he simply wanted to help. His mind remembered the surprise Genesis so fondly spoke of when he'd asked to trade assignments for him. Angeal should have known something was wrong then. His redhead friend had come a long way, but he hadn't been that selfless, giving up something that he supposedly treasured, just to 'surprise' Sephiroth. It should have sent every warning bell in his head off.

Was there something that Angeal had done to hurt Genesis? Was that part of the reason? It hurt to think so but at the moment everything was making less and less sense to him.

Angeal heard the footfalls of the three Turks who had arrived. Not realizing he'd been lost in his thoughts staring at the wreckage for so long. Cloud had stood next to him quietly as Zack continued his ranting.

"Yo, you boy's 'ave been recalled." A fiery redheaded Turk called out as he was flanked by two others, a bald man with a pair of sunglasses and a cute little thing with honey colored hair, bouncy curls and a sweet smile despite everything.

"I-" Angeal started to argue, he wasn't about to abandon his friends. No, he'd see this through. He however felt exhausted, more so than he'd ever been. It took a lot to get to Angeal Hewley, but the past several days had pushed even him to his breaking point, as he just collapsed, nearly knocking Cloud to the ground.

"And who the hell do you think you are com-" Zack puffed up like an angry puppy trying to assert his authority before he was cut off.

He caught Angeal falling out of the corner of his eye and yelped out in surprise, only managing to just barely reach the man before he crushed his poor friend, Cloud, underneath him. Cloud was struggling with the weight of Angeal as it was and, between the two of them, they managed to pick him back up. Zack had one of Angeal's arms hooked around his neck, with Cloud mimicking him on the other side.

"You picked a fine time to just dump this crap on us! Do you guys have any idea what Seph and Gen mean to Angeal?! And now you're just gonna kick us off like that?! What the hell!?" He snarled as he adjusted his mentor's weight between himself and his friend.

Fuck all, how did they expect them to leave anyhow, when Angeal was this worn out and he couldn't fly the helicopter. Asking Cloud would have been out of the question too.

"Your _friend_" The redheaded turk stressed the word a bit. "Obviously needs his rest. I'd be worried about him."

Zack puffed up again, looking angry underneath Angeal's arm, "What the h- NO. You don't get to make dirty assumptions like that! Of course I give a damn about Angeal, he's the mos-"

"Zack?" Cloud asked, concern in his voice, not sure what to do. He hadn't wanted to interrupt his friend, but he was terribly worried about Angeal too.

"It's alright." The girl said, a bit of perkiness in her voice as she winked at the two boys in front of her. Both were horribly cute. "We've promised to tell Director Lazard everything we find. You need rest. I can fly you back home." She offered.

"Listen to Cissnei." Reno nodded, not seeming the least bit bothered by Zack's outbursts. "We've got the General and Commander Hotpants covered."

Zack stuck out his bottom lip, looking quite put off, but he gave a short nod. Angeal was the bigger concern at this point. Even as much as he would have liked to elbow his way into the rest of the investigation to find both officers and give them a piece of his mind, he knew better. Lazard had given them all the time he could.

"Hey! Hey! You ought to give Angeal tabs too, at least. We both know the Director won't say anythin' unless he thinks it's necessary, and I think Commander Hewley kinda deserves some information at least!" Zack pleaded, knowing it was all likely in vain, but gave a signal to Cloud as he began to waddle forward.

The red-headed Turk shook his head. "That's up to the director yo." He seemed to be enjoying the exchange a bit too much but still turned to his silent partner as they carried Angeal off.

It took them a few tries, but they managed to sync up well enough to make their way down to the helicopters. As soon as they were out of earshot of the other two, Zack sighed and gave Cissnei a look.

"We really appreciate it. I hope you guys can figure something out."

"Don't mind Reno." Cissnei told Zack with a smile. "He's a bit rough around the edges, but he's good. He and Rude will find them."

Cloud just stayed silent, this seemed like more of what he shouldn't be involved in as a cadet. Blue eyes just looked up at Angeal, he almost looked peaceful like this, the worry lines that had covered his face over the past few days had disappeared.

He helped Zack get Angeal into the helicopter, as the female Turk, Cissnei climbed in the pilot's seat. A sigh left his lips, while not as exhausted as Angeal, he was tired himself. It had been a whirlwind for him as much as the others and he almost seemed disappointed at the fact that they were heading home, (especially without answers) where he would go back to being another random cadet.

It seemed Zack was tired too as he made himself comfortable next to Angeal. It made the blond wonder if there wasn't something more between Angeal and his student. It was a thought shaken off quickly. Knowing what little he did of the man he couldn't see him pursuing any kind of relationship with someone who was directly under him. It didn't change the fact that the feelings might be there. Then again, it was none of Cloud's business and he was wondering why he was even focusing on the thought.

He quickly brushed it off, making himself as comfortable as he could, before falling asleep himself.


End file.
